Cruel World
by Sarakaroline8
Summary: Alexandria versus Sanctuary. War has begun against the communities with Dwight and Sherry stuck in the middle of it all. With Sherry coming to terms with her past, is she able to fight the biggest monster of them all and help end Negan's wrath over the people around him? FOURTH INSTALLMENT of Many Hearts to Tread Series.
1. Chapter 1

**AUTHOR'S NOTE – Book 4! We made it! I'm so excited that there is FOUR installments to this story. To those who haven't read the first three books, just search** _ **Many Hearts to Tread**_ **on FanFiction. The first book is** _ **Many Hearts to Tread**_ **, second book is** _ **Nothing Else Matters**_ **, and third book is** _ **Vessel**_ **. I even have a prequel titled** _ **Manipulated Living**_ **based off Negan's life BEFORE the apocalypse.**

 **I'm majorly excited for the upcoming episodes of Walking Dead as the Negan timeline starts to unfold. Am I psyched? Yes.**

 **A couple of things to discuss. Sherry and Dwight are NOTHING like their characters from the TV show or comic book. Some similarities here and there but when I started writing this saga, I didn't have a lot to go on so I took a few liberties to really make them my own.**

 **Also, I can GUARANTEE that Sherry and Dwight's relationship with each other is a lot different from the comics because…FanFiction.**

 **A quick shout out to my readers. This last week, my story stats have SKYROCKETED. Like wow. I am honored to have so many people read what I have to write. I hope everyone enjoys what they have read in the past and this book as well.**

 **I already know that Cruel World will be the LONGEST book out of the saga. There is just so much information that needs to be touched on. Like the emotions in the past that make things happen in the present and in the future. It's a lot of variables to hash out and complicated feelings. I intend for Cruel World to be the most detailed and explained.**

 **Without further ado, here is the first chapter of Cruel World. Follow me as an author to get the latest updates and please review your thoughts! If you have any questions or comments, feel free to review and I will get back to you as soon as possible!**

Chapter 1

Fog settled in the morning as Dwight walked on an abandoned street all by himself. Long had the small town that surrounded him been deserted as a quiet fell upon the day. The sky had been gray for several weeks as Dwight grew anxious because of it. It almost seemed like an omen of future events.

He didn't used to think to be superstitious about weather. More or less he still wasn't apprehensive in regards to gloomy skies but it still didn't make him feel at ease either.

Two years ago, on a spring day, was when he received the scar that mutilated the left side of his face. It wasn't the appearance of it that bothered him. Now that it was less pink and red, he couldn't help but feel badass in regards to it. He was only furious with how he received it in the first place. Two years ago, on a rainy day, was when Negan placed an iron to his face because that was the punishment Negan felt he deserved.

Dwight walked in the small town through the fog and stopped to see two street names on a corner. With the fog, it was difficult to see where he was as buildings hid behind the mist. The street signs read Hurd Avenue and Adlard Street. When he looked around him, he saw an old brick building next to him and decided to lean on it and wait.

Choosing to go against Negan was naturally an easy decision. He never enjoyed being in Sanctuary to begin with. Since day one, he was forced to do whatever Negan asked him to do. And Dwight did what was asked to keep his group that he now considered his family alive.

At times, he didn't always obey Negan and would get punished for resisting. He had been beaten where his bones were broken, water boarded, and ironed.

Dwight would always think back to the day where his branding took place. He wasn't exact on the date but knew it was two years ago on a day like the one he was currently in.

There were so many things that he battled to make right due to his past misgivings. He owed it to many to make Negan suffer for what he did to everyone. But mostly, it was payback for what Negan did to both him and Sherry.

Sherry would forever be scarred for what happened to her. It was an internal scarring that was given to her unlike Dwight's. Mentally Dwight had his own share of trauma, but it went much deeper with Sherry who revealed to Dwight only a month ago to what extent she was hurt.

Negan had raped her for two years since Dwight's ironing. That was her punishment for what Dwight and Sherry did. Dwight was unsure of what to think about it before she told him. He knew Negan had punished her once with it. Dwight assumed Negan would stop once he seemed resolved knowing they wouldn't repeat their mistake. He had been ignorant thinking Negan wouldn't go after her again. Negan could do whatever he wanted with Dwight, but no one messed with Sherry if he had anything to say about it.

Dwight stared upwards towards the sky as he shook his head. Negan had killed and terrorized people. He needed to keep the goal of ending the agony for everyone. It was personal but he needed to be smart about his actions if they were going to even make a dent towards their attack in Sanctuary.

When Dwight discovered that Sherry left Sanctuary at an opportune moment, he knew the best action was being on whatever side Sherry was on. Since he spoke with Rick a month ago, he had been working as a double agent for Alexandria, the Kingdom and Hilltop Colony.

Dwight waited on the corner of Hurd and Adlard as his back leaned against the building wall. This was his meeting place with Alexandria when they needed to discuss what was going on each side of their defenses.

Their meeting schedules were complicated. Dwight didn't feel like it was smart to meet at a specific time of the week as it would raise suspicion. One week they would meet on Monday at seven, then the next week they would meet on Tuesdays at nine. After a month of meeting together on Hurd and Adlard, it was now Thursday at one in the afternoon.

Dwight picked their meeting location for a number of reasons. It was one of the blind spots that Sanctuary had with their many outposts. But it was a road that Dwight would take when he was assigned to occasionally check on each outpost one after another. It was somewhat out of the way but not enough for him to be gone long enough to cause suspicion. For all the Saviors knew, he was held back by walkers in transit which happened more often than not.

After several more minutes passed, he got out a cigarette and lighter as he thought he would take advantage of his rare time alone with his nicotine. He sighed as he looked at his cigarette supply. There was only one cigarette left in the carton. "Fuck." He muttered but lit it up anyways hoping that his new friend from Alexandria would have any to spare. Dwight smiled as he thought it may have been a mistake of Daryl to tell him about the hefty supply he had but it was easier asking Daryl than it was to get cigarettes from the supply building in Sanctuary.

With Sanctuary practically living off of what they found themselves, rations started dwindling fast without the taxing of the other communities. They were low before the war began because of Alexandria's arson against them but Dwight watched as families were starving in Alexandria. Most of Dwight's portions secretly when to Negan's wives as he knew Sherry worried about them constantly.

He heard growling to his right and wondered whether it was his own stomach or a walker. He watched as a walker emerged from the fog and headed towards him angrily.

Dwight hardly skipped a beat as he took his crossbow that hung from his belt and loaded it as quick as he could. It was ready to go as he aimed and fired effortlessly towards the walker. Once the walker fell to the floor, he walked over to it and put his foot against the walker's head to remove the bolt. He put too much weight on the walker as his foot broke through the walker's delicate and rotted skill. Dwight remained unfazed but was bummed that his shoe was grossly covered in brains. He walked back to stand next to the building as he took the cigarette out of his mouth and blew smoke out.

Not soon after his walker encounter, he heard a car engine in the distance as he waited patiently in his spot. Whether it was Saviors or another community, he didn't feel threatened. It was the one thing that irked him about his job as a double agent. He felt immune on both sides when everyone around him felt incredibly vulnerable as they fought for their entire livelihood. He didn't have to worry and that made him feel guilty. He wished everyone already had the same security he felt.

A couple of cars emerged from the fog slowly as they came to a stop. He saw Daryl in one car as he looked at the street signs and then saw Dwight. All the cars parked as people emerged from their cars. Dwight exhaled deeply as he saw who emerged from the passenger seat of Daryl's car. Sherry looked around her as Dwight soaked in every detail about her. Her jawline on the right side was cut but looked to be healing well from the last time he saw her. He also noticed her left arm was in a sling. Because of the sling, he noticed she only had a pistol holstered to her right side with a small knife sheathed on her left side.

He hadn't seen Sherry in a month since the ties to Sanctuary and Alexandria were permanently severed by force. The last time he saw her, she shot at Negan and nicked the right side of his cheek. The action was soon followed by gunfire from each side of Alexandria's gates. The action surprised him as he didn't know she had it in her to kill someone. He wondered how she was doing with her new surroundings in Alexandria. After all this time, he still thought about her often and hoped for the best outcome she could have in life.

He knew she still cared about him as well but given their history, he wasn't sure if she wanted a life with him anymore. He didn't blame her if she chose to move on with some other guy one day that was less complicated and didn't know every shocking detail about her. He knew he was disinterested in finding someone else but if she chose that direction herself, he wouldn't have judged her.

Even though she had expressed love for him before, Dwight didn't know if he would have been sufficient enough to have her. Sherry deserved the best in the world and he wasn't sure if he was the best. He was a killer. He knew there was hardly a person without sin, but he was so close to the part in her life that he knew she would have preferred to forget. He even wore a visible scar that was a constant reminder of what they had been through. Every time she saw him, she knew she was taken back to the worst time of both of their lives.

As he watched her from a distance, he noticed her dark hair got slightly longer as she wore it in a side braid. She looked at her surroundings cautiously as the Alexandrians started walking in his direction as she stayed in the distance keeping watch along with a couple of others as some were ready to discuss new tactics they could use with Dwight's information.

Daryl, Sasha, Aaron, and Jason walked towards Dwight as they looked around them as much as they could with the fog blocking most of their view of anything too far. Jason approached Dwight first with a big smile as he waved a hand in front of him which snapped Dwight from gawking at Sherry. "How are you doing, Dwight?" He asked. "Admiring the view?"

Dwight shook his head and gave the four his full attention. Other Alexandrians either kept guard around them or stayed in their cars as they waited for what happened next. "Today is a decent day with a lot of news on my end." Dwight said as Daryl stood next to him. He dropped his cigarette to the ground and stepped on it. "I have a good lead that we need to act on in a couple of hours."

"What's goin' on?" Daryl asked.

"Hilltop and the Kingdom weren't the only places that we have collected taxes." Dwight revealed as they all looked to him with surprise as he unfolded a map from his pocket. Several spots were circled as Dwight marked new territories that consisted of the new communities that overtook the terrain. "See the places that are starred? Those are the communities that consist of twenty or less people." He explained.

"Want us to talk to 'em? Have 'em join in the fight?" Daryl asked.

Dwight shook his head. "With as small groups as that, they are thinking in smaller scales. Negan would wipe them out if he knew they turned against the Saviors. They would be as good as dead. Right now, they are oblivious to the war that's happening. For their benefit, I think it should stay that way." He said.

"So what do you suggest?" A man who Dwight remembered being called Aaron. "If they are no use to us, why are you bringing them up?"

"I have organized that thirty men pick up taxes and they will leave Sanctuary in about twenty minutes. I say cut them off and ambush them before they even get to their destinations." Dwight explained.

"Which one are they headed to first?" Daryl asked as he looked to the map.

Dwight pointed to three but kept his finger on the furthest one. "They make the longer trip first. Its two hours away from Sanctuary. If we leave soon, we could cut them off before they even make it." He suggested.

"You said thirty?" Sasha asked.

"Yeah. How many people are with you now?" Dwight asked as he looked upwards towards their people as his eyes first wandered to Sherry yet again.

"Fourteen." Aaron said as he looked a little dismayed.

"You don't think we could make that push?" Dwight questioned as he picked up Aaron's apprehension.

Aaron shrugged. "It's just a little iffy, that's all. This is the first attack that we are doing of this kind. We don't know what to prepare for." He said.

"I say we try." Daryl said as he folded his arms in front of him in thought. "We don' know what kind of things are gonna happen from here on out. Might as well catch them by surprise when we can."

Aaron exhaled but nodded knowing they wouldn't have many opportunities like the one that fell before them.

"Good thing we brought some things that can help with the cause." Jason said as he beamed and looked at Aaron. "Remember what Earl made us that I have in the back of my truck."

Dwight looked to Aaron for explanation. "Earl helped us make a road block several days ago to put in front of Alexandria's gates. It's a road block. It has these big metal spikes to kill tires. Think we could use it on the Saviors?" He asked.

"Good opportunity to see if they work." Dwight said impressed. He knew about Hilltop's skilled blacksmith. Earl knew how to make a lot of things for the cause and was very talented by making various things.

"We have somethin' else to talk about." Daryl said as everyone looked to Dwight warily.

"What?" Dwight asked as the mood got very serious in their small circle.

"Rick wants to make a big push at Sanctuary." Sasha said. "With all of the communities."

"Just knock on the front door?" Dwight asked. He looked to Sherry and hoped she would stay behind in Alexandria on that day. "Now that's a little risky."

"We've been waiting for the right opportunity. We have just been prodding each other for the last month. Rick wants us to make the first big move. Let him know we are contenders that aren't to be fucked with." Jason disclosed.

"Someone has t' make the first move." Daryl reasoned.

Dwight shook his head. He knew Negan was planning a push against the communities one by one and knowing they were banding together against Sanctuary first sounded like a better alternative. However, he was still unsure and hoped for the better outcome.

"Sanctuary's fence. Have they ever been riled up before?" Sasha asked Dwight.

"The night we took Carl and Sherry from Sanctuary." Jason said. "The walker's on the fence were acting a little wild. The extra loud noises they made brought on other walker's in the area. We had to fight our way out. Did you guys have any problems that night?"

Dwight scratched the back of his head in slight embarrassment. "I was actually wasted that night so I'm not sure what they had to deal with." He confessed.

Daryl snorted at the answer as Jason grinned. "Dwight Orlich getting drunk?" Jason asked. "I want to see that sometime."

Dwight rolled his eyes and continued the conversation to where it was before. "So your idea is to make a couple of explosions and bring a herd their way?" He asked.

They all nodded. "We want to bring their fences down." Aaron said. "With walkers hearing our commotion and the fence already making noise because of it, we know that walkers will just keep coming. It'll be something that the Saviors have to regroup from." He still sounded uneasy about the idea of attacking but it seemed inevitable no matter what they did.

Dwight looked to all of them and sighed. "Okay. When is this attack going to happen?" He asked.

"Couple a' days from now." Daryl said.

With that, Dwight nodded. "Alright." He agreed. "If you guys think you can do it, then do it." Worry settled in as he thought of people in Sanctuary that he knew were good people. They were going to be put right in the middle of everything.

"What's wrong?" Jason asked watching Dwight stare at the ground.

"There are families with children in Sanctuary. As bizarre as that sounds, we do have some families there. Like your family, Jason." He said.

"How about we send some of our group to get them out of there?" Sasha asked. "All you have to do is put them in a spot, and while everyone is distracted with what is going on at the gate we'll get them out of there."

Dwight sighed as it still felt iffy to him. "Their husbands are fighting. Some won't leave. And believe it or not, they feel secure where they are." He folded his arms as he wondered what the best course of action would be.

"Some people are going to die." Jason said. "It doesn't matter what we try, people are going to die from both sides, Dwight."

Dwight looked to Jason and nodded solemnly. "I guess so." He said.

"See? You're still a good tenderhearted person." Jason said in a somewhat teasing manner. Sasha scoffed but smiled slightly at the compliment.

Dwight took a deep breath but knew he had to say something before they moved forward. He owed it to Sasha to talk to her instead of have the elephant in the room. He knew she and Abraham were close and wanted to apologize to her.

"Sasha, can I talk to you for a second?" Dwight asked.

Sasha looked surprised and glanced at everyone else in their circle. They all awkwardly went their separate ways as he saw Daryl walk towards Sherry.

Sasha stayed and looked to Dwight curiously. "What do you want?" She asked slowly but Dwight could hear a mixture of impatience and aggravation that came with it. He knew he didn't deserve her attention.

"I wanted to say that I'm sorry for what happened. With Abraham." Dwight said. "I know if someone did that to me, I would want to kill them. And I could blame Negan all I wanted but I was the one who did it."

"Stop." Sasha said. She paused and looked behind him to think of the right words to say. "I know what happened with you guys in Sanctuary. I have heard other people talking about it. I saw when Negan attacked Sherry in Alexandria. I get you had to do what you had to do. It wasn't easy but my blame isn't on you anymore."

Dwight knew he should have gotten more out of what she said but his eyebrows scrunched in confusion. "Negan attacked Sherry in Alexandria?" He asked.

She nodded. "Maybe she can tell you more about it." Sasha said. "Me and you though. We're good."

Dwight smiled slightly. "Good." He said. "I'm sorry." He repeated as she started walking away.

"Stop saying sorry." Sasha said going back to being annoyed with him.

Dwight saw Daryl walk up to him as Dwight met him halfway. "Should we leave soon?" Daryl asked.

Dwight looked to Sherry who was talking to Sasha. They both wore small smiles as they continued to converse. "Um… I'll drive with you and lead the way." Dwight said to Daryl.

Daryl looked to where Dwight was staring and snorted. "Uh huh." He said and started walking towards his car again.

Dwight smirked as he started walking towards Sherry. When everyone dispersed back to their cars, Sherry turned around to see Dwight standing right behind her. "Hey." He said.

She smiled lightly and gave him a small wave. Even by only seeing her for a short amount of time, he could already tell that she was much happier than she was in Sanctuary. Her face lit up as so looked to him. "Hello." She said.

"I wasn't expecting to see you today." Dwight said.

"I wanted to get outside of the walls." She responded.

"Nothing to do with seeing me?" He asked jokingly but secretly wanted an answer.

"Maybe." She said quietly as her face reddened.

Dwight nodded smugly and walked to Sherry's car door. He opened it and gestured for her to get in. "After you." He said. "Hope you don't mind more company."

Sherry looked as if she tried to hide some excitement. "You're coming with us?" She asked.

"Well, it would look a little off if my truck was spotted your Alexandrians." Dwight reasoned. "Also, I need to lead the way. It would be easier in the same car. This has nothing to do with being in the same car as you for a few hours." He said as he winked.

"I'm sure it doesn't." She said and got in the front seat. He closed the door behind her and got in the back seat. When he opened the door, his cocky smile turned to a frown as he saw the seat was already occupied.

"You might want to get in on the other side." Eugene said snidely as his hands interlaced together on his lap. Dwight did his best not to slam the door on his face and walked to the other side of the car to sit behind Daryl's driver's seat. Sasha was someone who was able to forgive him. Eugene was a different story. For the last month, Eugene would go out of his way to purposefully annoy Dwight to no end as a small revenge plot against Dwight killing Abraham. Every time, Dwight would let Eugene win every small argument just to let him know he was repentant for what he had done. But it didn't change how annoyed he felt when he was around him.

Daryl stood up by the car as he quickly got his own nicotine fix before they headed out. Daryl wore a small grin as Dwight could tell he was humored by him being in the same car as someone who despised him.

"A little warning would have been nice." Dwight said slightly annoyed. Spending time with Sherry was something that he always looked forward to. Eugene was putting a damper on the day already.

"Wouldna done much." Daryl said and dropped his cigarette to the ground. With that, he got into the car.

Dwight opened his door and saw boxes of electronics in his seat. Dwight leaned down to stare at Eugene as Eugene glared back at him. "You might want to put those in the trunk." He said simply.

Dwight stood up straight trying to keep his temper in check. _I killed his friend,_ Dwight thought as he tried to sympathize with Eugene and keep himself from shooting him before the day was over. _I killed his friend,_ he repeated. With that, he took the boxes as Daryl popped the trunk for him.

When Dwight got into the car and sat in his seat, Daryl got inside and handed Sherry his crossbow. She placed it on her lap as Daryl started the car and turned to smile at Dwight who in turn smiled back at her.

"My guess is third degree burns." Eugene said which interrupted their little moment.

Dwight's nostrils flared slightly as he gave Eugene the side eye but didn't say anything.

As if Eugene thought Dwight was lost on what he meant he continued, "The scar on your face. Third degree burns? Was that a right hypothesis?" He pressed.

Sherry looked from Eugene to Dwight as Dwight gave the other man the dirtiest look. Dwight wouldn't answer and Eugene didn't ask any more questions based on Dwight's reaction.

Sherry turned to face the front as she bit her lip. She looked to Daryl who glanced back at her with raised eyebrows. They both knew it was going to feel like a longer trip than it really was.

…

They spent ten minutes in complete silence during their road trip in the car. At one point, Sherry asked Daryl if there was any music they could listen to but he regretfully said there wasn't.

Dwight would either look at his map, out the window, or catch glimpses of Sherry. He avoided the latter because when he looked in her direction, he could see Eugene from his peripherals staring him down. He constantly felt eyes on him as he guided Daryl where he needed to go but beyond that was silence.

Then Eugene opened his mouth. Dwight wished that his ears could fall off the way Eugene spoke about things that he didn't particularly about. It was grating and the words Eugene said felt condescending towards everyone around him.

By the time they made it to their destination an hour later, Eugene was trying to one up Dwight with education. Dwight tried to hold his tongue back and give in to the bait. Even though he could have bragged he himself was two weeks away from being called a Doctor of Philosophy, he knew it was better to keep his mouth shut.

"Take a left on the next road and park." Dwight said to Daryl. "We're almost there."

"M'kay." Daryl said in almost relief. At least Dwight felt he wasn't the only one who was sick of the car ride.

"And that was after I completed graduate school." Eugene said. Dwight wasn't sure what his story was about leading up to that remark but it still drove him mad regardless. "What about y'all? Did you guys go to college?"

"No." Daryl said as he spotted the left turn they needed to make. Dwight saw they were so close yet so far as Eugene waited expectedly for an answer from everyone.

"I was a couple of weeks from finishing college with my Bachelor's degree." Sherry spoke up.

"I always admired a woman who had interest in continuing her academics." Eugene said as he looked at her. Sherry turned to look back at him with a smile and a nod. Dwight smiled to himself as he knew that was Sherry's way of letting someone know they were on her nerves.

"What 'bout you?" Eugene asked. "Community college?"

Dwight bit his lip as the car turned and slowed to a stop. The car wasn't even parked as Dwight got out and reached into his pocket for his pack of cigarettes. When he remembered and saw that his carton was completely empty, he walked a distance away from the car as Eugene emerged and continued to ramble.

They stopped on a country road that was a next to the road the Saviors would be en route to for their supplies. They were surrounded by trees on every side as they were in the backwoods of the Washington D.C. area.

He watched as the cars that followed Daryl's parked behind them and Alexandrian's started pouring out of the cars. He hoped that one of their cars would have an empty seat but from the looks of it, each car was already full. Maybe he could convince someone to trade seats with Eugene.

"You okay?" He heard Sherry ask behind him.

Dwight turned around and saw her standing closer than he thought. He liked her being close and the opportunity to see her still made his day better than most. He wished he had more days that consisted of her. He smiled assuredly. "I'm more concerned about you." He said worriedly.

Her eyebrows scrunched together in confusion. "Why?" She asked.

"Eugene lives in the same community as you. That must be agony." Dwight said jokingly.

She laughed lightly at his joke and looked him in the eyes. "He doesn't hate me so it's not that bad." Sherry said simply.

Dwight groaned with a smile as he absentmindedly reached for his pack of cigarettes than remembered yet again he was out. He rolled his eyes and decided to relieve stress in another form but no ideas came to mind.

Sherry looked from his pocket to him and smiled knowing what he was looking for. "Smoking is bad for you anyways." She said with a hint of snark.

Dwight nodded in defeat. "I know." He said hoping she wouldn't judge him too much. But then he saw her reach into her own pocket and produce an unopened carton of cigarettes.

She stretched her hand out to give them to Dwight as he looked with appreciation from Sherry to the cigarettes. Dwight instantly pulled her into a hug that she didn't expect but was surprised at how well she welcomed his affection. She realized today was a good day and that hugs didn't feel like barbed wire to her. It always depended on the day no thanks to Negan.

"Thanks." Dwight said as he broke their hug and took the cigarettes that she still held out to give to him. "Seriously, you are a life saver." He said as he opened the pack as quickly as he could.

"Don't mention it." Sherry said with a smile as she started backing away.

He put a cigarette in his mouth and watched her moving further from him. "Don't want to hang out with me anymore?" He asked with actual disappointment.

"I want to… I just don't like the smell of nicotine." She said with a polite smile.

Dwight nodded in understanding as he lit it up. He looked towards everyone as they got their gear out. Jason waved at him to get his attention as Dwight walked over. "So where are we going to do this?" Jason asked. "Do we have time to set up the road block?"

Dwight looked at the road they drove on to get there and nodded. "Yeah, we have plenty of time." He pointed to the right. "The road that we just came from is where we will ambush them. I'd take the chain there for about fifty yards before they have a chance to see our cars." He said.

Jason nodded. "How much time do we have?" He asked.

"Thirty minutes to an hour." Dwight said. "I'd take your car."

Jason nodded again and whistled to Aaron who nodded back as they got into Jason's truck and drove off.

The fog still settled around them as Dwight got rid of his cigarette. It gave them extra cover that they would need for their scheme to pan out the way they needed it to.

As Dwight watched everyone get ready, he knew there would be thirty less people who lived in Sanctuary. And that would be thirty less people to worry about in the future. He started prepping himself mentally as he walked to the back of Daryl's car to see what kind of weapons he could use. He was ready to fight today for a good cause.

…

Sherry sat next to the road blocked by fog and the trees. Everyone was scattered about in various places as they waited nearby the road block for the Saviors to arrive. They wanted to appear as if they had more people than they actually did so everyone was no less than thirty feet from each other on each side of the road as they all stayed low and hidden.

Knowing she had a little more time, Sherry put her gun down and reached for the sling on her left arm. She wasn't supposed to have it longer than three weeks but kept on aggravating it so Terri demanded she keep it on longer and to not use it if she could help it. It was awkward to carry a gun without two hands and the recoil messed her targets up without her left hand supporting. Sherry grabbed with her right hand to take the sling off and heard a noise behind her.

She inhaled sharply but turned to see it was just Dwight who was kneeling down next to her. "Let me help." He said as took the sling over and around her head.

"Thanks." She said to him and put the sling on the ground and picked her pistol back up.

"Is that the best idea for your arm?" He asked.

She shrugged. "I'll put it back on after." She said. "You going to stick around here?"

Dwight looked at her sadly and shook his head. "I'll be ninety feet west of you." He said.

"You okay?" She asked picking up on his attitude change.

"This kind of thing… Ambushing is one of my stronger areas of expertise. That's all I have been doing for a while. Even to myself, it's off putting to see how decent I am at it." He said as he tried to think of what to say.

Sherry was confused at what he was getting at. "Is this you bragging right now?" She asked.

Dwight snorted but chuckled quietly. "God no. No, I'm trying to tell you that….Sher, I don't want you to see me when I do this." He said.

"Oh." Sherry said in understanding. She put her pistol in her left hand and put her right hand on his arm. "You know it would take a lot for me to be scared of you, Dwight."

"I know… It's just not one of my prouder moments in a situation like this." He confessed. "I did want to see you before everything happened though."

Dwight took her hand in his and squeezed lightly. "Make sure you keep an eye through your peripherals in case walkers come up behind you." He instructed. "Also stay low and try and move around as often as you can so they don't zero in on one spot."

Sherry rolled her eyes and looked at him assuredly. "Dwight, I'll be fine. I promise." She said.

Dwight smiled. "Please be careful, Sher." He said and stood up.

"Right back at ya." Sherry replied as she returned to her position.

She watched as he reluctantly started walking away as she blinked several times and shook her head. Sherry still cared for him more than anyone else. She just wasn't sure if the person she grew to be would be someone that Dwight could tolerate. She had a lot of problems that weren't something to be taken lightly. She wasn't sure if she could give Dwight what he needed out of a relationship. She wasn't sure if she could provide that to anyone around her. And she couldn't ask him to wait around for her to be back to her old self completely. She didn't know if that day would ever come.

Sherry wished it would be easier as time went on. Some days it was but others she was swept back to the misery she felt when she was in Sanctuary. She literally had a target on her back that her time in Alexandria was going to expire if Negan wasn't defeated. He would drag her back to Sanctuary eventually and with that thought, her time felt very limited.

It was a subject she hardly wanted to touch base on or even admit to herself but the conflict she felt in regards to Negan was something that she had to come to terms with sooner or later. More often than not, she denied whatever cordial feelings she had for Negan. She hated him but a sliver of her was still fond of him for a bizarre reason. She hated herself because of it. Sherry wished that she could shut those feelings out completely. She wished that the years in Sanctuary never happened so her mind was able to function more clearly.

Overall, she knew what needed to happen and worked towards that goal. She wanted to stay in Alexandria and she wanted everyone around her to move on with their lives as she knew she needed to as well. As conflicted as she was, she knew Negan had to be gone. It would be easier that way.

She closed her eyes and breathed slowly as she started to hear several engines headed their direction. It was time for her to prove her value in once more as she knew the Saviors vehicles would emerge from the fog soon.

…

Dwight watched as Saviors' vehicle closed in on the road block unbeknownst to them. With the fog and ambush combined, they were oblivious to any upcoming danger as they flew down the road.

Daryl stood next to him as they watched the loading truck that led the way get closer and closer. Then the loading truck made contact with the road block. They watched as the driver made the mistake of stepping on the brakes and the truck tipped over with a loud crash followed by screeching from the cars behind it. Two other cars hit the road block as they skidded and fishtailed to a stop crashing into each other and the tipped over loading truck.

Once the commotion came to a close and the cars ceased to move, Saviors started emerging from their cars in complete confusion.

"What the fuck?" A Savior yelled in frustration.

Another Savior looked around and saw the road block. "I think we fell into a trap!" He yelled. Dwight watched Daryl take aim towards him and zeroed in on someone else as well. Things were going to go down very fast as they still needed the element of surprise and strategy.

Daryl took the shot as the man stumbled backward with a bolt protruding from his chest. He fell to his knees and face planted to the road beneath him.

"Ken's been hit!" Someone yelled. "Take cover and start shooting, boys!" They did so as the Alexandrian's started pouring gunfire over the Saviors stranded on the road. The Saviors took cover behind their cars but had a disadvantage being surrounded and not sure where all their enemies were. Dwight watched as two other Saviors fell lifeless and he took aim towards someone whose head just barely rose above a vehicle. He fired his crossbow as he saw the bolt stick out from the man's head. He slumped over as Dwight logged the death in his kill count. _313,_ he thought.

He heard a slight scoff come from Daryl as Dwight loaded his crossbow. He watched as Daryl shot at someone who stood vulnerable and was killed instantly from Daryl's bolt.

As Daryl reloaded his crossbow, Dwight tried to find someone else who could be a decent target. But when he found someone, Daryl already loaded as they both aimed at the same person at the same time. Dwight didn't hesitate as he fired in the same second Daryl did. The man fell with two bolts that bulged from his cheek and near his collar bone.

"Mine was the head shot." Dwight mumbled. In all honesty, he wasn't sure which one was which but wouldn't tell Daryl that piece of information.

"Keep tellin' yerself that." Daryl grunted back in response. Their amusement ended when they had to take cover with gunfire flying just above them. They each rolled behind separate trees as some Saviors zeroed in on their location.

Dwight got Daryl's attention and pointed that he was going to get a better position as theirs was put in jeopardy. Daryl nodded that he would do the same as they both army crawled to a different spot.

…

Sherry shot at one person so far and looked to have gotten only his leg. He was out of sight as Sherry was unsure if she was out of practice or second guessing every target before she shot. She guessed it was both as she tried to find someone that looked exposed.

That was when she saw a Savior start booking it away into the woods only thirty feet away from her. She stayed in her spot and looked around to see if anyone else saw the Savior bolting and knew he was a liability being alive. After several seconds she stood up and started running after him.

She was quiet and tried to hardly make a sound as it appeared that the Savior in front of her was doing the same at least for a little while until he felt confident that he was far enough away from any threats. Sherry stayed low but kept going further and further away from everyone else and the rest of the noise.

After several minutes she saw the Savior turn around near her direction. She quickly hid behind a tree and held her breath hoping that he didn't see her. Sherry waited for a few more moments as she counted to ten. When she stuck her head out from the tree, she no longer saw a Savior. She cursed inwardly knowing that she didn't have to wait as long as she did.

She hoped maybe she could pick up on some sort of trail from the last spot she saw him and jogged over to that spot. When she made it, she then heard a noise behind her and turned around to come face to face with a rifle stock that careened towards her forehead. The rifle hit her upside of her head as she barreled back from the blow. She landed on her rear as she quickly tried to aim the weapon towards the Savior.

"Ugh…" Sherry said in pain.

"Don't!" He growled above a whisper at her with his weapon already drawn on her.

Reluctantly, she put her pistol down, knowing he won this round.

"Now give me your gun." He said. "Or I'll have to escort you back to Sanctuary."

Sherry gripped her gun tightly as she feared the worst. "No." She said firmly no matter how fearful she was.

Again, he looked confused by her tone. Sherry knew that some of Negan's men only followed him because they feared the other option. She took a chance and hoped that he would be a person who was a decent person. "I could shoot you right now." He said. "Just give me your gun." He repeated.

Blood started to get into her left eye from the gash she received from the hit. She wiped blood away with her arm but still kept her gun about her. She looked behind him and raised her gun. Walker growls got closer to them as they both took aim at five walkers that were closing in on them.

The Savior looked to the walkers and then to Sherry. "You're on your own, bitch." He said and started bolting.

Sherry exhaled infuriated that something stood in the way of her chase. She started shooting at the walkers one by one as she stood up and trekked in the direction of the Savior with the walkers following after her.

…

"No. No, please!" A Savior at the ambush scene said with his hands outstretched towards Dwight in a plea for his life.

Dwight didn't hear a word of it as he shot his crossbow right into his skull. The man's eyes fell behind his head as his eyelids closed only halfway. _317,_ Dwight thought as he plucked his bolt out of the man's head in slight distaste. He looked around him as everyone else wandered around the site to see if their work was completely finished.

Dwight knew their ambush was a success as he looked around for the people in Alexandria. He saw that everyone was scavenging the area but instantly saw someone was unaccounted for.

He walked to Daryl who was also picking up his various bolts that scattered the place. "Have you seen Sherry anywhere?" He asked.

Daryl looked around to see she was nowhere in sight. "Nah, man. I ain't seen her." He responded.

Dwight could feel his feet start moving in the direction that he last saw her. First his steps were cautious but then he started picking up the pace as worry formed over.

They both got over to the area that Sherry took over before the ambush started. All Dwight saw was Sherry's sling where she left it. Dwight picked it up only to throw it back on the forest floor in anger and distress as he looked around the forest wondering what happened to her.

"Hey. We'll find her." Daryl said as he put a hand on his shoulder. Dwight turned to see Daryl looking at the ground. He looked up and started walking. "She went this way."

Dwight started following him while being thankful that Daryl turned out to be a tracker in the time that he needed someone to be. He followed as they both heard a gunshot ring throughout the area. They both looked up and started racing in the direction where it was heard knowing Sherry was involved.

…

When they got closer, they both took cautious steps as Daryl continued to look for more signs of anything that would prove to be useful. Daryl stopped as Dwight did the same. He looked at the ground and then around him with his eyebrows scrunched together.

"Blood and walkers, up ahead." Daryl said. Dwight saw what he was referring to and saw three walker bodies distributed around the area. In the middle of the skirmish were some dry leaves that had blood stains that were separate from everything else. Dwight's unease didn't feel better upon seeing what he saw but he tried his best to focus on what Daryl had to say next.

"Footprints weave in and out. As if she was tryin' t' get someone off her tail." He said and pointed west. "You go that way and I'll go this way. She ain't too far from here."

Dwight nodded and quickly went the direction that Daryl told him to. He kept going until several minutes passed. "Sher." He whispered sharply hoping that she was close by to hear him.

"Shh." He heard in a hushed reply. His heart skipped a beat as he knew that was her voice. He looked around to see if he could see her but saw in the far distance a figure with a gun pointed straight towards him. He ducked for cover quickly as the man shot the rifle. When he was low, he saw a bush and crawled towards it. When he got to the other side, he saw that it was already a hiding spot for Sherry.

"Oops." She said put kept her sights on the man who was ambling towards them. Dwight could hear in the distance the Savior going off about how he should have gotten rid of Sherry when he had the chance. "You're dead now." The man said.

Dwight looked at Sherry with relief but saw the gash on her forehead. "Did he do that?" He asked.

Sherry nodded. "I was the only that saw him escape the ambush so I followed him." She explained in a whisper.

Dwight watched as she had her gun aimed towards the man through the leaves that covered them enough to obscure the man's vision if he didn't know where to look. Sherry moved her aim as the man drew closer and closer to them.

Dwight heard a faint noise behind them but knew that it was only Daryl who helped cover them upon hearing a gunshot.

Sherry took a couple of breaths as he knew that she had the man in her sights but couldn't bring herself to pull the trigger. She just watched him as he got closer. He admired her hesitation but knew the three of them could be in potential danger if the man got closer.

"Do you have your sights on him?" Dwight whispered.

She nodded but did nothing. With that, Dwight held her hand that held the gun and made sure not to move them in the slightest as she put his finger on her trigger. She looked at him as he fired. They each heard a tumble as Sherry looked to see if the man actually was shot or not.

Sherry looked to Dwight and nodded that he was exterminated.

Dwight gazed at Sherry with his hand still over hers. "Was he the only one that escaped or were there more?" He asked.

"He was the only one that I saw." Sherry said.

Dwight nodded. "Okay." He said and let go of her hands. "How are you?"

"My head hurts." She said honestly. They heard Daryl walk to the guy but also heard a sickening sound. The man was coughing up blood as he was on the brink of death.

Dwight started walking towards the man and Daryl as Sherry followed behind him. The man craned his head as his skin whitened before Dwight's eyes. Dwight remembered this particular Savior. His name was Brian. The man's eyes widened as he saw Dwight in a place that he shouldn't have been. Then it finally clicked.

"You ugly motherfucker." Brian wheezed in between pants. "You'll regret when Negan finds out that you stabbed him in the fucking back."

"I don't plan on him finding out." Dwight said and lifted his crossbow.

"Oh, shit." Brian said. He looked at his gun wound in his chest and then back to Dwight. "I'm not ready to die, man. I can make a deal."

Dwight looked to Sherry and the gash on her forehead then shook his head. "Nope. Not an option." He said.

"No!" Brian wailed as Dwight took his shot. The bolt hit him in the neck as his suffering fast forwarded to a complete stop. Daryl looked to Sherry and Dwight then back to Brian who closed his eyes as Dwight noticed his chest stopped moving up and down. _318,_ he thought.

"Let's head back." Daryl said and started walking in the direction where everyone else was. Dwight started to follow but noticed Sherry stood frozen as she looked at Brian with a hint of melancholy.

"Sherry." Dwight said as he looked to her expectantly but with concern. She looked at him as he waited for her. She sighed slightly and walked right next to him as they strolled in silence to meet up with everyone else.

…

Dwight and Daryl immediately started calling orders for everyone to take about getting whatever supplies that they could from the cars. Dwight knew the Saviors hardly went anywhere without being abundantly armed with weapons. Sherry took it upon herself to scavenge the tipped over loading truck. She did it on her own as everyone teamed up together with the other cars. She didn't mind the time alone as she could reflect on what just happened. Sherry wanted to be better at combat. She had six months of fighting walkers but that was her only experience. She was fairly new at killing other people while the others around her had a lot more practice and were a lot more valuable when they needed to be.

Sherry tried to help as much as she could but didn't find herself beneficial to anyone. Her time in Sanctuary made her weak and inessential. It was difficult to not feel down on herself as she felt useless in the new world. She hoped that with time it would reverse the way she felt. She hoped that she could play catch up in her cushioned life inside walls.

She looked around to see if she could scavenge anything worth mentioning as she carried a backpack with her to carry what she needed. There was a metal carrier on its side that she took interest in as she moved closer to it and tried to lift it. When she realized it was too heavy, someone appeared at the sliding truck door.

"Let me help." Dwight said as he walked into the truck. He stood next to her and leaned over to put it upright once more. She did the same as they both pushed against it. With their combined force, they were able to have it stand where it needed to be.

Dwight stood up straight as Sherry looked to him. "Thanks." She said and opened the trunk. They both looked inside and saw a multiple guns that varied from shotguns, rifles, and pistols.

Dwight picked one up and checked to see if it was loaded. "They could all be empty." He said. "But those guns could be useful for you guys in the future." He looked to her as she stayed quiet and stared at the carrier. "Sherry, are you okay?" He asked.

Sherry tried to get ahold of herself as she felt overwhelmed with so much emotion throughout the day. "I don't know. I'm just thinking about a lot of stuff right now." She said.

He looked at her with eyebrows raised. "Yeah, like what?" He asked nicely.

"I don't even know where to start." Sherry said as she closed the carrier and sat on it. He sat down next to her as their shoulders touched.

"Did I scare you today?" He asked warily.

"No." Sherry said as she tried to think of the best way to explain to him the way that she felt. "If I could sum up the way I feel right now… The one word I would use is 'inadequate.'"

"Inadequate? How?" Dwight asked.

"I didn't kill anyone today." Sherry said. "I came to help in whatever way possible and when that is what is required, I can't do it."

"Sher, that's one thing you shouldn't feel ashamed about." Dwight said as he leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees. "Being merciful is a good trait that few of us have now." He looked to her as he tried to read what was going on in her mind. "Is that all that is bothering you?"

Sherry looked to him with sadness as she wanted to tell him every confusing detail of her life but didn't want to burden him with any of it. She cared and loved Dwight but felt he deserved better than her. She felt he deserved someone less complicated. _Inadequate,_ she said to herself as they both looked to each other.

She opened her mouth to express her thoughts but then growling came from behind Dwight as he looked in the direction of the truck's sliding door. He stood up to look as a walker tried to walk into the loading truck. Dwight quickly kicked it in the chest and sent it sprawling backwards as they both got a glimpse of a walker herd coming through the ambush site. Gunshots started falling towards the dead followed by yells of distress as Sherry and Dwight slowly became surrounded.

More walkers tried to make their way inside the loading truck as Dwight and Sherry fought them back with their gun and crossbow. Once they were a distance away, Dwight took the handle of the door and started sliding it closed.

He shut it on a walker skull which fell to the ground as he kicked the rotted corpse back to completely close the door. When the head was out of the way, he slammed the door shut as darkness enveloped the space.

"Well, shit." Dwight said as deafening banging could be heard on every side of the truck. They were completely surrounded by a herd inside the loading truck.

A light flickered on as Sherry held her backpack with one hand and a flashlight with the other. "What do we do now?" She asked.

Dwight looked to her and sat on the metal carrier. "I guess we wait." He said.


	2. Chapter 2

**AUTHOR'S NOTE – I am not the only person who wrote this chapter. For those who read apenny12's AMAZING fanfiction's, she helped me out with a scene in this chapter. She is my amazing pen pal and writing buddy. If you read her story called HOPE, her Dwight and Sherry are based off my Dwight and Sherry in this series. Vice versa with Daryl. I base Daryl off of her writing.**

 **Also, HOPE & Many Hearts to Tread are sister books. Meaning that they are spin-off's of each other. HOPE takes place two years after what takes place in Cruel World. If you want spoilers, go ahead and read it. There is one BIG difference that we have in our books. Wonder if you can spot it (wink). Her books are based on Daryl and another character as a love interest. And the bromance is real with Dwight and Daryl haha.**

Chapter 2

"I'm guessing there is a 98% chance we could die in here." Dwight said quietly as they sat on the metal carrier. The walkers were still constantly banging on the truck as they swarmed every side possible. Dwight sat hoping that the walkers would eventually leave but knew they would still linger around the area for a long time. He didn't know how many there were but knew he wasn't going to chance opening the door to find out.

Sherry used her flashlight as she rummaged through her backpack to find a scarf that she packed. When she pulled it out, she placed her flashlight in between her and Dwight and pressed the scarf on her forehead. She knew they didn't have anything else to do as they just had to wade it out.

Dwight stared at her as he picked up the flashlight. He looked around the truck to see if there was anything that he saw useful. There was a smaller crate in the corner as he walked over to it. It was upside down as Dwight put the flashlight aside and set the crate upright as he accidentally hit it against the side of the truck which made the walkers on the other side bang on the walls with more vigor.

"Oops." Dwight said but paid no them no mind. The walkers wouldn't be able to get in. His problem would be to get him and Sherry out.

He opened the crate and was pleased to see what he assumed was inside. Each loading truck was prepped to have water bottles and first aid kits inside for when the Saviors needed it on their supply runs.

Dwight picked them up and walked over to Sherry who still was sitting down with her scarf to her forehead. Dwight made a face when she removed the scarf and saw the wound. "That's a good one." He commented. "But I bet it'll be a little scar that will go away with time."

She smiled but was clearly in pain as Dwight sat next to her and searched through the first aid kit. He handed her the water bottle. "Here." He said as he gestured for her to take it from her. "Wet the scarf down. I want to see how deep the cut is."

Sherry took the water bottle and did what he suggested. "98% chance that we'll survive? That's not necessarily good odds." She said about his hypothesis earlier.

Dwight shrugged as he found the bandage he needed along with tape. "With any luck, the walkers will be distracted by something else. Other than that, they could stick around for days."

Sherry thought of the Alexandrians and felt confident they would help them out and wouldn't just abandon them. "I will disagree with you and say that we have a 10% chance of dying." She said as she removed the scarf when she saw Dwight was prepped with everything he needed to help dress her wound.

"You're more of an optimist, I suppose." Dwight said as he held the flashlight up to her face and nonchalantly held her jaw to get a good view and angle of her forehead. "This one time, Tak and I were stuck in a ditch during a blizzard. We swerved off the road. The Saviors that were with us? They didn't even attempt to help us. We had to dig ourselves out and walk back to Sanctuary. Everything about that night was fucking miserable."

Sherry listened to his story as she knew what he was thinking. "You don't think these guys are going to come back and help us out, do you?" She asked but knew the answer already.

Dwight shrugged again and grabbed the scarf from her hands. "Maybe you have a reason to be more of an optimist. I just don't think these people would risk their lives to carry out a rescue mission. They aren't obligated to help us." He said to show her the way he saw their situation.

"Even Jason?" Sherry asked.

"Well, sure, Jason would help us but can he convince the others to follow through with it too?" He questioned back.

Sherry thought to herself and could see where Dwight was coming from. Dwight only had a small circle of people that he trusted with his own life. Alexandria didn't yet make that list for him. A worry befell her as she started doubting the value she had with their new group. Their lives were in the balance and the only thing that guaranteed them survival depended on the Alexandrians saving them or not.

"Pessimism really is contagious." Sherry said as the gloom of their predicament started to sink in.

Dwight felt bad that he was raining on her parade. "Hey. If they don't help us, we'll figure our own way out. And when we get out, we'll just go wherever we want. Sound good?" He asked. He wetted down the scarf more with the water bottle.

Sherry smiled. "And bail on the war?" She asked but appreciated his effort of making her feel better.

"Fuck the war if they don't help us. Fuck 'em all." He said jokingly as she laughed quietly and nudged his shoulder slightly. Dwight noticed she winced slightly and had to shake her arm out gently to try and take the sting away.

"What happened to your elbow anyways?" Dwight asked. Sasha told him that Sherry was attacked in Alexandria by Negan and wanted to know more about it. He only felt awkward mentioning it upfront and thought his question sounded harmless enough.

Sherry looked away from him as she decided to stare at her lap instead. "I fell backwards and ran into a coffee table." She said honestly without telling the whole story.

Dwight paused and tried to read her. He gently held her jaw so she could look up at him again only so he could see her gash in a better light. While doing so, he could see the pain that read behind her gaze and saw she had more on her mind.

"Anything else?" Dwight asked.

Sherry didn't respond immediately as Dwight placed the scarf on her forehead to clean the wound as much as he could.

Dwight didn't take offense to her silence but worried about her all the same. "You don't need to tell me if you don't want to. I just want to know that you are okay and if you are still doing alright in Alexandria." He explained.

Sherry still didn't say anything but Dwight sensed she was thinking of something that she could convey from her mind to him. While Dwight put the bandage on her forehead with the tape, Sherry looked more confident as she took a deep breath. "Does the guilt ever go away?" She asked.

Dwight wasn't sure where her question was going to lead but he decided to continue on with it. "The guilt for what? You have to be more specific. I have done a lot of shitty things." He said mildly joking.

Sherry didn't know whether it was an inappropriate question or if he would take it the wrong way but she continued. "Killing someone." She said as he put the first aid kit on the floor and scooted closer to her. His shoulders tensed when she said it but quickly went back to being relaxed as he just wanted to answer her question with as much honesty as he could give her.

"No." Dwight said. "Sometimes it's easier to justify it. I don't lose sleep over it anymore, if that's what you mean."

Sherry folded her arms as the banging on the outside of the truck continued. Even though Dwight was sitting right next to her, she felt miles away. He wanted her to feel she could talk to someone without holding back. He wanted that someone to be him. "Sherry, what's wrong?" He asked.

"A month ago when Negan and the other Saviors ambushed Alexandria…" Sherry paused as she tried to collect her thoughts. "I killed some people that day." She whispered as she tried to get ahold of herself and act as if it didn't weigh on her as much as it did. But this was the first time that she spoke of it with anyone since it happened. She tried to shut the memories of that day out and pretend it wasn't yet another life changing juncture in her history.

Dwight could feel the pain that she felt and knew exactly what was going on in her head. The first kills were raw and haunting. That feeling always lingered in the back of his mind as he remembered the day in Hilltop where he killed a boy named Drew. Every memory played out as if it happened minutes ago. Every death was something Dwight remembered but Drew's death was the most prominent. He knew that would never go away.

"Saviors?" He asked.

She nodded and wiped at her eyes. "The bastards." She mumbled.

Dwight reached for her hand in comfort as she tensed at first but held his hand back. "Who attacked first? Them or you?" He asked.

Sherry grimaced and looked at him. "I think I did." She said.

Dwight tried to hide how impressed he was but continued. "Did you have a good reason to kill them? When you answer that question, you will want to go back and forth on your reasoning but when it boils down to why you did what you had to do, was it still a good reason?" He asked. "Don't think about it. Just give me your first answer."

"Yes." She said but then fell silent.

"What happened, happened. I'm sorry that you had to make that choice in the first place." He said and held her hand tighter.

"Me too." Sherry said and leaned on his shoulder slightly. Dwight felt a smile form on his face as he was able to be with Sherry for the first time in a month. Before then, they would hardly exchange glances towards each other for fear that someone would let Negan know. In two years, he had only spoken to Sherry twice. It still amazed him that he was able to have a moment such as the one he was experiencing now when it seemed impossible not too long ago.

"I just want this whole mess to be over with. I'm worn out." Sherry confessed.

"Do you have any plans if Negan ends up dead?" He asked curious as to what she would say.

Sherry was caught off guard by the question as she smiled. "I haven't really thought about what life would be like if that happened." She said.

"What would you like to do then?" He asked.

"I would want to see my friends get settled. Takuya and Megan actually talking to each other. Seeing everyone get into a good groove. That would be nice." She said as she smiled thinking about it.

"Yeah, that's what you want for everyone else. What do _you_ want?" Dwight asked. Sherry cared about a lot of people before she even thought of herself. He wanted her to just think about what made her happy.

She shrugged. "I guess I just would want to stay busy with things. I want to stay productive and be useful for everyone." She said.

"Any examples on how you would do that?" He asked noticing that she was still was thinking of everyone else.

"Alexandria has me in charge of grape vines right now." Sherry said and Dwight could see how vibrant she looked when she brought them up. "I like doing that a lot. I like helping Deanna form a steady community."

"I think Alexandria suits you." Dwight said. "Maybe I need to make a move when this is all over."

Sherry looked to him wondering what he was getting at. He smiled at her. "Oh, come on. Wherever you go, I'll go too." He said.

She smiled at him sadly as the feeling of being inadequate settled in. Dwight picked up on her attitude change and quickly tried to make her feel comfortable again. "Unless you don't want me to." He said.

"Of course I want you to, Dwight." She said. "But…"

"But what?" He asked as he sat up straight and faced her.

"I can't help but feel that you deserve someone better." Sherry said and let go of his hand. "Dwight, you should have someone who doesn't remind you of Sanctuary. Someone who still has been untouched by the new world."

Dwight knew what she was getting to. She was saying it without saying it. When she said that he should have someone who still has been untouched by the new world, he just replaced the words _new world_ with _Negan_ instead. She wanted him to be with someone who hadn't been with Negan; the man who was their mutual source of turmoil.

He thought of what to say next and knew his next statement would be bold but he needed to continually reiterate his feelings for her. "What if I don't want anyone else, Sher?" He asked.

"You haven't once entertained the idea of being with someone else?" She asked.

"Since I have met you? No way." Dwight said firmly. "Have you thought of being with someone else?"

"No." She said quickly before he could even finish asking the question.

"Then what's the problem?" He asked. "Sherry, I have no intention of being with anyone else. No one else is you. I have invested way too much to throw it all away. What can I say to convince you that I'm not going anywhere?"

"Dwight, what if _I_ can't be the person who you deserve? What if I can't function the way that a partner should?" Sherry asked.

"What do you mean?" He asked with his eyebrows scrunched in slight confusion.

"Some days I get sick to my stomach when someone touches me." Sherry said quietly. "Physical contact with people or too many people makes me anxious. Every night I close my eyes and dream about Negan. The things that he made me do. Dwight, I can't imagine being with someone if I have days where a hug can send me in a panic attack. And I can't expect you to wait for me until things are better. I don't know when I will be normal again. You should have someone who would give you everything that you wanted in a relationship." A tear escaped as she quickly wiped it away.

Dwight got off the crate and knelt in front of her. "Do you feel uncomfortable with me now?" He asked.

She shook her head but closed her eyes as more tears fell. Dwight's heart broke for her as he could feel the struggle that befell her. She felt he didn't deserve a complicated person. But he didn't care in the slightest. He gently put both his hands on the sides of her knees as she put her hands to her face and started openly crying. Dwight knew a conversation like the one they were having was going to pop up sometime. He knew Sherry thought the same thing but neither of them knew it was going to be that day. She wanted him just as much as he wanted her. She just didn't want him to deal with her life and bring him into the struggles she faced day to day.

Negan had beat and raped her. After which he opened a place for her to trust and care for him by isolating her from other people. He violated her trust in the most horrific way possible. Dwight wanted her to separate Negan's way of loving someone versus his own way that he loved her. She may have felt that he deserved someone better but he couldn't think of anyone better. No one even came close.

"Sher, if there is ever a day where you need space, I will give it to you. You say that you don't want to be touched and I will not touch you until you say it's okay to again. You aren't inconveniencing my life because you are working through things. I would be happy knowing that I am someone you could turn to when you needed it. I will never put you in a situation where you felt scared." Dwight said. "I can promise you that. I'm not Negan."

Sherry took her hands from her face and looked at him. He looked back to her with conviction on his face. He needed to let her know that he didn't have any intention of leaving her.

"Even if you decide you need space throughout the rest of your life, I will wait for as long as I need to. You decide that you want to be with someone else, I will still be there for you." Dwight said.

Sherry leaned forward to kneel in front of him and put her head on his shoulder as she silently cried. Dwight put his arms around her and caressed her back slowly as he rocked her side to side to soothe her. "This is all if we ever get out of this truck." Dwight teased. "We could still die in here."

She snorted at his making light of their dire situation while her face was still resting on his shoulder. He loved being as close as he was to her. It felt right for him to be with her.

Suddenly a loud explosion was heard outside of the truck in the far distance. They both were still as they waited for another noise to follow but what continued was less and less noise altogether as the banging on the truck was less prominent.

Dwight stood up and helped Sherry on her feet as he looked to the truck's sliding door as noises of bullets flying were heard in the distance. Sherry started smiling as she wiped at the tears on her cheeks and looked up to him knowingly. "What did you say about there being a 98% chance of dying?" She asked confidently.

Dwight looked to her but grabbed for his crossbow on the floor just in case as they heard the walkers banging against the truck cease completely. Sherry grabbed for her gun as they waited for the right opportunity. Soon they heard talking.

Dwight walked to the sliding door and reached for the handle but it opened before he even touched it. Sunlight poured into the truck as Sherry and Dwight saw Daryl with his face reading worry.

"You came back for us." Dwight said in surprise. He knew Daryl was a good person but didn't expect him to come back for the two of them.

The man nodded to Dwight but his hands rose cautiously and slowly to the air behind his head. "Well, now we have other problems." Daryl said. Dwight walked out and saw all the Alexandrians were surrounded by a group of people at gun point.

"Well, well, well." One man said that held a gun at Dwight and glared at him. "Negan's right hand man. Looks like luck is smiling down on us."

Dwight knew this group of people. It was the group of twenty that Negan taxed. Dwight didn't know that they were as close to their settlement as they were. For the last month, Negan had been taking more than half for the Saviors to get by. He could imagine how much that wore on the people. Now they were out for revenge and that they weren't going to put up with anymore.

"You Saviors run into some trouble?" The man asked. "Well, you're about to run into some more."

…

They were all stripped of their weapons as they all had to sit on their knees with their hands behind their heads. The leader of the small group conversed with some of his people while they waited in the midst of the fog that still hadn't faded away from the day.

"What happened while we were in the truck?" Sherry asked Daryl who knelt next to her.

"We started leadin' 'em away." Daryl said. "By the time we got back to the truck, these assholes were already here. Came outta nowhere."

"Who are these people?" Sherry asked Dwight.

Dwight sat on the other side of her. "They are part of a smaller community that Negan taxes. He has several small groups that he takes fifty percent of their shit. Apparently we came on a day where they decided they had enough."

"Hey!" The man in charge yelled in Dwight's direction. "You shut the fuck up!"

Dwight wasn't used to being on the other end of being ambushed. Nor did he try and relent to their requests. "What are you going to do? Kill me?" He taunted.

Sherry looked to him with worry as if he lost his mind. "Dwight!" She nearly scolded in a hushed whisper. "Don't push them!"

"I'm not pushing them. They aren't going to hurt us." Dwight whispered back to her. He then looked to Daryl to bring him in the conversation. "We need them to talk to us. They are involved in all of this now. They either join in the war or they are gone."

"I thought you wanted to keep them away from the war." Aaron said overhearing their conversation and brining himself into the mix. Sasha, Eugene, Jason and others did the same.

"They've seen Dwight with us. That could ruin a couple of things going for us." Sasha said.

"Negan doesn't have Hilltop or the Kingdom for supplies anymore. Those two were the biggest communities that no longer serve him." Dwight explained. "These people are suffering. Negan will run these guys dry sooner than later. The best option for them is to join up with a bigger community. It's a win-win for everyone. If they join up, it's more people to help fight with you."

"Should we ask the other smaller communities to help as well?" Jason asked. "Strength in numbers and if Negan is now taxing them more than 50%, that means we could run the Saviors of all of their food and supplies."

"I didn't see the value in it before but if these people are desperate enough…" Dwight said but was soon interrupted by the leader of the small group.

"Hey!" The man yelled to Dwight again. "I thought I told you to shut your fuckin' mouth!"

"You did! And?" Dwight said back.

The man started walking towards them as he saw Sherry look from the man and back to him in slight panic. "Do what the man says, Dwight." She whispered through gritted teeth.

Dwight was touched that Sherry was worrying so much for him but he rolled his eyes at her. "Like these guys are gonna do anyt..." He was cut off as a boot came into contact with his stomach. He leaned forward and groaned as he took deep breaths from the wind being knocked out from him.

All the other Alexandrians looked alarmed but didn't know what to do in their situation but mutter to each other how Dwight wasn't so great at being a hostage or how they could get out of their current situation. Sherry put her hands down from the back of her head to help Dwight as the man pointed his gun directly at her.

"Put your hands back up, sweetie." The man said to Sherry. "You're making me nervous."

"Get that gun out of her face!" Dwight said in between pants as Sherry begrudgingly put her hands back up.

"You should listen to your girlfriend, man." The man said as he stood in front of Dwight and pointed his gun back to him when he was pleased that Sherry wasn't going to move a muscle. "Should we bring your body back to Sanctuary to send a message that we are done with your boss' 'protection?'"

"Do you know how many men you'll be facing if you do that?" Dwight countered. "You have never seen all of his men at once. They will kill everyone in your group."

"Hank," Someone said behind the man addressing him. "Why don't we just leave this area? Be rid of the Saviors by taking off and not looking back."

"We fought for our area fair and square." Hank said. "We will continue to fight for it."

"We could help each other." Sherry spoke up. "Your group can come to our community and be protected. We have food."

"What? To Sanctuary?" Hank asked. "No thanks."

"We don't belong to Sanctuary." Aaron said. "We are leading an attack _on_ Sanctuary."

"Then why is this dick weed with you?" Hank questioned as he stared Dwight down. Rightfully so. Dwight had helped attack their group long ago and made examples for everyone to follow Negan.

"He's helping us from the inside." Sasha said. "Giving us information. We are here because we just took some Saviors down before they came to tax you."

Hank looked around them at the carnage and what was left of the men that the herd nearly picked clean. His face wore a different disposition as he considered what they said. "Is that so?" He commented as he thought to himself the benefit of they presented to him. Clearly, they weren't Saviors. Their demeanors were a lot less menacing besides Dwight who decided to keep his mouth shut to stop pushing Hank's buttons.

"If you come with us, we can help each other out." Daryl said. "Saviors ain't gonna tax you no more if you help us fight 'em."

"Is that your intention?" Hank asked. "Get rid of Negan once and for all?"

"That's the plan." Jason said. "You in?"

"How can I trust that you are telling the truth? How can you trust him?" Hank asked as he continued to eye Dwight.

"Because he hasn't betrayed us so far." Aaron said the same time Eugene was going to say something that was obviously not in favor of Dwight.

Hank considered their proposition and walked away to converse with some of his men. Dwight could count at least 25 men and assumed their numbers had grown within the last several months. He knew they had families at their camp.

"You take us to your camp. What's it called?" He asked.

"Alexandria." Sherry said.

"You take some of us to Alexandria with you. We'll see for ourselves if what you are planning is true. If it is then we are in." Hank said. "Negan has taken everything of ours. We didn't have anything to give him for his next supply run. We only have what we need to survive."

Hank gestured for his men to return their weapons to the Alexandrian's as they did so. When they had their weapons back, they each stood up and waited for everyone else to get situated.

"What do you call yourselves?" Aaron asked. "Every group has a name. What's yours?"

Hank smiled to Aaron and shrugged. "Some people in our group have called the area we occupy New Haven. I guess that makes us the New Haven Colony." He said.

Aaron smiled back. "Our cars are pretty full. Do you have any cars with your group?" He asked.

"We do. If you don't mind, I want our people intermingled in cars. That way neither of us can try anything if we both have people on the line." Hank said.

"Fair enough." Jason said and shook Hank's hand. Hank shook it back a little unnerved at the friendliness he received.

Dwight looked to Eugene and spoke up as he pointed to him. "He was just saying that he wanted to drive with you guys anyways." Dwight said to Hank.

Eugene looked from Dwight with outrage but didn't say anything. "I guess I can learn a thing or two from New Haven. Or y'all can learn a thing or two from me." He said not opposing the idea.

Daryl looked to Dwight knowingly and nodded his own approval of the new driving situation. Sherry smiled and started walking towards Daryl's car. Dwight followed her as everyone else made arrangements for who was driving with who. Others got what they could salvage from the wreckage and brought it with them to bring to Alexandria. When he caught up to Sherry, he walked next to her for a while and just stared at her.

She gave him the side eye and then looked up to him. "What?" She asked as they continued to walk.

"I meant what I said in the truck." Dwight said.

"I know." Sherry said with a smile.

Dwight smiled in return and reached for her hand as they walked the rest of the way to the car with everyone following behind them. Others went with New Haven to where their cars were parked. Sherry's hand relaxed as she held onto his fingers and then interlaced her hand with his. Dwight looked at her again with a hopeful smirk as she looked at him with a small almost apologetic smile.

"I meant it." He repeated. She squeezed his hand as he took it as her way of trusting him. He was glad she was going to give him a chance to prove himself. Dwight knew the reason for Sherry creating distance wasn't because she had trust issues with him. It was because she was at a time in her life where she didn't want to bring anyone down while she was working on herself. Dwight was all about giving her space if she needed it but he wanted her to know that he was always going to be there when she needed it. He wanted to be there for her and let her know that she didn't have to be alone. For two years, they had to be alone while they lived their lives in Sanctuary. He was tired of dealing with things all by himself. He wished he was able to speak to Sherry when things seemed too difficult to bear.

Sherry was trying to give him a way out so her burdens didn't have to be something that he needed to carry. But what she didn't know was that he already carried that weight on himself for a very long time. With every moment he was given to be with her, he wanted to show that he could be somebody that she could lean and depend on.

They made it to the cars as they saw Daryl walking with Hank as he assumed that Hank was driving with them.

"Can we trust them?" Sherry asked.

"Oh, yeah." Dwight said. "They are desperate for a solution. And we can give it to them."

"I hope that we can." Sherry said as she leaned against the car. Dwight stood next to her and got a cigarette out. Sherry made a face as he took two steps backwards so she didn't have to be bothered by the nicotine smell and smoke.

"It'll work." Dwight said less than confidently as he thought of everything that could go wrong. The possibility of overthrowing Negan was still slim when he thought of the hoops they had to jump through to even get to that point. Dwight still thought it unwise that every community didn't stay in one spot. Rick told him that many members of the community couldn't comprehend leaving Alexandria. They didn't understand the gravity of the situation that Alexandria was outnumbered without the help of Hilltop and the Kingdom. Even if New Haven stayed with them until the war was over, they still needed more numbers.

Dwight knew Sherry was safer in Alexandria than she was in Sanctuary but that wasn't saying a lot. Sherry was vulnerable in both places. And Negan was still hell-bent on bringing her back to be with him. Dwight had a lot of faith in the people of Alexandria but knew even as great as they were, they would be unable to prevent Negan from getting to Sherry with how their situation was.

That brought something up in Dwight's head as he preferred separation between Negan and Sherry. He knew of Rick's plan of attacking Sanctuary and an unsettling feeling started to form in his stomach. "Sher, the communities are going to attack Sanctuary soon." He started but smoked his cigarette without finishing his thought.

Sherry nodded as if she wasn't surprised. "Rick thinks we're ready and wants to attack first." She said.

"Are you going?" Dwight asked already knowing the answer.

"Well, yeah." Sherry said. "I have friends in Sanctuary that need to get out of there before that fence goes down."

Dwight scowled at her answer and shook his head. "Can I convince you to stay behind?" He asked.

"I'm sorry but you can't." She said. "I have a plan. Negan won't even know that I'm there."

Dwight didn't look too persuaded by her reassurance but she walked to stand directly in front of him. "I promise, Dwight." Sherry said. "I'll be okay."

He inhaled more nicotine and turned his face away so as not to blow smoke in Sherry's face. He threw the cigarette on the street and then looked at her. "I trust you." Dwight said. He knew it wasn't his place to tell her where she should be or not. "Just be careful."

"I will." She said with a smile.

Daryl and Hank made it to the car as Hank stared at Dwight warily. "I might be a little sold on everything going on but I don't think I'm sold with you just yet." He said.

Hank was a man in his early fifty's that started out as a father figure to his group. Everyone trusted him which led him to be the appointed leader of New Haven. Dwight understood Hank's reservations. Dwight had killed a member of their group when the Saviors found out about them. Dwight knew it was never a great first impression and was seldom forgotten.

"He's workin' for us on the inside." Daryl said as he got into his car.

Dwight shrugged but nodded to Hank. "It sounds bizarre but it's true." He said.

Daryl threw the car keys to Sherry as she caught them. "Your turn t'drive." Daryl said. "My turn t'sleep in the back."

Sherry walked to the other side of the car and slid into her seat. Dwight got into his seat as he was mildly disappointed that Hank already went for the front seat beside Sherry. He got into the seat behind Hank as Sherry started the car.

"I remember how to get to the meeting place." Sherry said as she turned to Dwight. "You can fall asleep to, if you want."

Dwight was planning on falling asleep but nodded to her in response. She smiled as she turned towards the windshield and put the car in drive.

…

Sherry drove with Hank in the front seat as they were making their way back to the corner of Adlard and Hurd to drop Dwight off. Dwight and Daryl were in the back seat as both of their crossbows rested on their laps.

Dwight turned to Daryl. "Hey, thanks for coming to our rescue back there." He said. "It was appreciated and unexpected."

"Weren't nothin'." Daryl said.

"Why did you come back for us?" Dwight asked. He knew Sherry was a good person and everyone in Alexandria saw what efforts she made for the community but Dwight wasn't a person who needed to be saved. The Alexandrians didn't have to risk their lives for him yet they did.

"You're one of us, man." Daryl said. "You didn' have t' try an' shoot Negan and coulda killed us when he asked ya to. You didn'."

Dwight nodded as he remembered the confrontation in Alexandria a month ago when Negan asked him to prove his loyalty by shooting one of the Alexandrians that knelt before him. Rick, Daryl, Jason and a man named Heath all had their lives on the line. When Negan turned his back away for a split second, Dwight aimed the gun at Negan but was surprised to find out the gun wasn't loaded. It was all a mind game.

"Someone told me once that there were still good people in tha' world," Daryl began, smirking fondly at the memory.

"Think it's true?" Dwight asked beside him. He looked to Sherry as she drove but thought of himself. He didn't know if he fit into the category of a good person anymore. His record wasn't the cleanest.

"There ain't many of us left. People, I mean. Most of 'em are pieces of shit, only lookin' after themselves and takin' what they want no matter tha' cost," He continued with a far off look in his eyes. "I was like that once. Before tha' world went t'shit."

Dwight waited in silence as Daryl thought to himself. The hum of the car continued as they drove closer to their meeting spot. Dwight was in amazement that the new world could have changed people in such drastic ways. Before this world, he was a lot like Eugene and talking to someone like Daryl, or even relating to him, would have never happened.

"People changed when tha' world ended. We gotta' stick together, those of us that're left." Daryl declared quietly. "I'd like t'think there are still good people left. I do what I can t'help those who deserve it. It's what she'd want me t'do."

"Who was she?" Dwight inquired tentatively.

"One of tha' good ones." Daryl answered vaguely.

"What happened to her?" He pressed; curiosity getting the better of him.

"What always happens." Dwight sneered. "This world takes anything good an' snuffs it out."

Dwight just listened as Daryl gave him the reasoning behind the rescue. He didn't know a lot about Daryl. He hardly knew anything about the guy but knew the words he spoke weren't empty. It was his way of telling him that Dwight had proven himself enough to Daryl and that Daryl trusted him enough to save him and Sherry.

Dwight looked at the rearview window and saw that Sherry was already looking at him. She looked back at the road as if she didn't hear what just transpired in the back seat. Hank also appeared to be listening but didn't say a word.

They drove the rest of the way in silence as they all thought of the heaviness of their situation. They all lost people that were important to them. Family members, friends, and group members were taken away by their world. A war was happening and people from both sides were going to be gone without any warning. Dwight wished that it could be different. He wished for a long time that Negan was nonexistent. But that was the way life was. And because of Negan, more people were going to lose their lives as they fought for a better tomorrow.

Dwight had to think that they would succeed. If they didn't, even more good people were going to go away from this world. Sherry would be dragged back to Sanctuary and Dwight's would be killed if Negan found out that he double crossed him.

 _It'll work,_ Dwight thought to himself. _It'll work._

…

They made it to their meeting place as Dwight got out of the car. Sherry got out as well along with Daryl and Hank.

"Where are we?" Hank asked. "This better not be a fucking trick."

"Just droppin' off Dwight." Daryl explained. "He needs to get back on the inside 'fore they think somethins' up."

Hank shrugged knowing that his opinion of Dwight would be rendered useless if he said anything about the situation and chose to say nothing. Hank partially heard what Daryl said about Dwight trying to shoot Negan. Even though he didn't know the whole story, it counted for something on Dwight's moral character.

Sherry walked to Dwight as he made it to his truck that waited nearby. "You know what I am going to say." She said.

"That I don't have to leave?" Dwight asked with a smile.

"I hate seeing you go back to that place." Sherry confessed.

"Then you know how I feel about you going when the communities attack." He said with a wink. "But we both need to do what we can to help everyone, don't we?"

Sherry nodded as they both stood next to his car.

Dwight took a deep breath and stepped towards her. He leaned down to meet her eye line and kissed her on the cheek quickly. "I love you and I will see you soon." He said.

She blushed as she tried to act cool. "I love you too." She mumbled.

Dwight held the side of her face as he contemplated kissing her on the lips but realized Alexandrians and members of New Haven looking on in their cars wasn't the appropriate time. He hoped he would have another time like that with her.

"Be careful." Sherry said as she repeated what he said earlier in that day.

"Likewise." Dwight said back to her. Sherry started walking away as Dwight watched her. He didn't want to go back to Sanctuary but knew that with Takuya still there, he couldn't possibly leave him to fend for himself on his own.

 _It'll work,_ Dwight repeated in his head but knew there were so many other things working against them. It would take a miracle for Negan to be rendered powerless. With that, he got into his truck and started it as he started making the drive back to Sanctuary and saw as all the other cars drove to Alexandria.

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE – The scene where Dwight and Daryl are talking in the car is coined by Miss apenny12. Let's all take a moment to bow at the greatness….**

 **Anywho…Chapter 2 is fin! New Haven is a group created by myself…Hope you like them!**


	3. Chapter 3

**AUTHOR'S NOTE – I found my new project in FanFiction! Just exploring other genres for the fun of it. I'll write it after the Many Hearts to Tread series is over, so don't worry about that being unfinished.**

 **My next project after Walking Dead will go to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I'm going to tackle a Ms. Marvel story arch! How I see a movie of he own going and how she is involved with the Avengers. May or may not have been inspired by the newest Civil War trailer. The Russo Brothers have been my favorite directors for Marvel movies. Followed by James Gunn. I feel like the Captain Marvel movie would have a feel of both of their movies combined as the writer of Guardians of the Galaxy is writing Captain Marvel as well.**

 **But like I said, I need to finish Many Hearts to Tread. I have fallen in love with Dwight and Sherry's story and it's not over for me yet. I have plans for SIX more books after Cruel World. Could be overkill, yeah but I just know a really good place to end it and I feel like stretching it out that much is the perfect fit for a beginning (books 1-4), middle (books 5-7), and end (books 8-10). Believe it or not, the FINAL chapter for book 10 has already been written! I love it so much that now I need to connect the dots to get to that point.**

 **So here is Chapter 3 of Cruel World. Hope you like it!**

Chapter 3

"We're going to attack Sanctuary in two days." Rick said to Hank and the other members of New Haven that joined them. They all gathered around in the living room of Rick's house for their meeting as they went over what was going to happen on the day that everyone dreaded. The day they would ambush Sanctuary.

"If you are going to be with us, all of your people need to move in Alexandria for the time being." Michonne explained to Hank. "You don't have enough manpower and if Negan sees you fighting with us, he'll attack your place first."

Sherry watched the interaction as Hank scratched his head with worry. She sat next to both Carol and Deanna as they each brought their own two cents to the conversation when necessary. Almost every fighter for Alexandria was present and the room was filled to the brim with people.

"We'll go get your people as soon as this meeting is over." Aaron assured. "Before Negan even knows that you are here."

Hank nodded. "Alright. This all sounds like a tough deal but it's worth it." He said.

"Can we go through the whole game plan?" Jason asked. "Everyone needs to be on the same page."

Rick nodded. "We meet up with all of the communities beforehand. From there, we take out the two outposts that are next to the main highway. Daryl is leading for one outpost and Richard, from the Kingdom, is leading the other. Once those outposts are gone, we get off the highway and into the forest to try and keep an element of surprise as much as possible. They have a mill that they can see miles out. If they see us before, that's fine but it's not ideal. We need to try and give them less time to plan a fight on their end."

Rick bent over the coffee table that stood in the middle of the room and filed through the multiple maps that were laid out of the area. He found the one he was looking for and passed it to Daryl to have everyone have a turn looking at it themselves. "Dwight has laid out as many areas as he could that have booby traps. He said there were too many around the front gate that he couldn't remember where all of them were. He said to watch for tight wires or areas where the dirt looks tampered with."

"We didn't run into those when we got Carl out of there." Aaron commented as Daryl handed him the map.

"They are only surrounding the front gate." Rick clarified.

"If they are only near the front gate then why are we attacking from there?" A woman who Sherry remembered as Rosita asked.

"The front gate is the most vulnerable spot for the gate to be pushed." Rick said. "They left their Gila on our front steps again. So we're gonna use that and ram it into their gate like they did ours."

"Yeah and who is volunteering to drive that thing into their gates?" Jason asked.

"I am." Rick said. The room fell quiet upon the revelation. Everyone looked to each other in silence as they contemplated what Rick just said to them. Their leader was going to practically give himself up right in the middle of the war.

"Why you?" Sherry spoke up and asked. "Alexandria depends on you, Rick."

"You go in Sanctuary and we won't be able t' get ya outta there, man." Daryl said.

Rick nodded in understanding. "Negan has already said that he won't kill me. Several times he has told me that. It's all a game to him. With his walls down, the Saviors time will be limited." He reasoned.

"Do you really take him as a man of his word?" Sherry asked. "You have two kids, Rick. Think about them for a second."

"I am thinking about them." Rick said defensively.

"Not clearly enough." Carol said in disapproval.

"I don't expect you all to agree with me on this," Rick started.

"Nah, I don't think anybody's gonna have yer back on this." Daryl huffed behind him as he shook his head on the brim of anger as everyone could see it rising to the surface. Daryl with his rough exterior, seemed to Sherry as she got to know him more, was a person who cared the most for his group. And knowing that someone could be put in real danger didn't sit well with him. It didn't sit well for anyone in the room.

"That aside, we need that wall down and I can't ask anyone to volunteer for something like that." Rick said with his voice raising in anger. He gave Daryl the side eye as Daryl rose to the bait and silently challenged him with an equal amount of daring. Rick looked away first and addressed everyone in the room. "This is just one thing that we have to do. And I know that it won't be easy. But I feel that I am less liable in Sanctuary than anyone else is in this room." He said. No one argued with him. They knew that it would have been pointless to say anything as Rick sounded determined and nothing could change that.

No one else said anything as they thought of what Alexandria would be like without their leader. Sherry looked around the room and could see that perhaps Rick would have felt bad to ask others to drive the military vehicle into Sanctuary but they all would have done it in a heartbeat. Rick was too valuable and an asset to the war. But Sherry could see where Rick was going with it. She had been told that Negan said he wouldn't kill Rick because it would make him a martyr. If Negan captured Rick and killed him, he would be exactly that. One thing she did know about Negan was that he did enjoy playing games with people. And he enjoyed to play them as for as long as he could.

"Rick, we trust your decision." Deanna said. Rarely did she speak at the meetings since the death of Spencer but everyone listened to her as a matriarch of the community. "And we _will_ back you up on this."

Sherry looked down to her lap as she shook her head but didn't say anything. Deanna had already said the final word on behalf of everyone and they couldn't argue with her. Not even Daryl.

"Then it's settled." Rick said. "Once that happens, I need you all to fall back in groups and attack the outposts while they are separated from Sanctuary. Then we come back here. With no home and no food, let's try to see what they can give us."

"What's the status of the other communities?" Carol asked. "Where's our meeting place with them?"

Rick grinded his teeth and looked to the floor where he stood by his fireplace. "Kingdom is meeting us at the usual spot that we meet Dwight. Hilltop…" He started but paused.

"What's wrong with Hilltop?" Sasha asked who sat on the other side of Carol.

"People don't know what's up or down in Hilltop." Rick said. "Gregory has been in charge since the beginning. People trust him. He doesn't think we should fight and that we should continue to follow Negan."

A low murmur rose amongst the group as they talked to each other in whispers.

"Spineless." Carol muttered in Sherry's ear. Sherry just stayed silent as she watched everyone. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back against her chair in exhaustion. As people spoke about what was going to happen next and their relations with other communities, her own struggle was more personal as she contemplated about the people who depended on her to do what she needed in order to break free of Negan's hold.

The communities were in the same position that she was but on a greater scale. And they were going to fight. As did she. She thought of her moment of pause when she had that Savior in her sights in the woods earlier that day. Dwight was the one who had to pull the trigger as she couldn't do it. Flashbacks of Anderson played in her head as she tried to shut it away and think of something else.

"We can't afford to second guess in a time like this." Carol said about Gregory and Hilltop. Sherry looked up to Carol as Rick continued with the statement. Little did Carol know how the statement resonated and mirrored Sherry's internal struggles but she found herself nodding in agreement.

"That's right. On the plus side, Maggie is there. And she has done more for their community than Gregory ever has," Rick said. "They are pretty split. I'm not sure how many people are going to meet with us from Hilltop."

Sherry didn't want to be unreliable. They depended on her to do her best just the same as everyone else. She couldn't be a waste of space.

"In two days, we go to Sanctuary before sunrise. Once we get there, we give them everything that we got. Make as much noise and bring a herd their way. We've taken away their food. It's time we take away their security." Rick finished. "I want everyone to get a good night's sleep tonight and rest up tomorrow. We have a long day ahead of us."

Sherry thought of her friends within Sanctuary's walls as she worried for them. Not only would bad people be affected but there were good people in Sanctuary as well. In particular, she thought of her "sisters" and how vulnerable they would be if the fences came down. With the havoc that would ensue and Sherry's past experience living there, she knew the priority to protect them would be low. They weren't even allowed to have knives or scissors in the house after Brittany tried to self-harm herself. Sherry knew her friends would be defenseless.

Everyone started dwindling out of Rick's house or talking to each other about nothing in particular. The mood of all Alexandria was of anxiety. They knew that once they got the ball rolling that things would unravel very quickly. Whether it be for better or worse, it was as if everyone was holding their breath and waiting for the plunge.

Sherry walked up to Rick who spoke with Daryl. "I need to talk to you." She said with zero hesitation.

Rick raised his eyebrows with concern but nodded. "What do you need?" He asked. Daryl still stood but got into a conversation with Carol and a man named Tobin who stood close by and started talking to them.

"When we attack Sanctuary, you want the fences down completely?" She asked.

"I don't know if we can achieve 'completely' but we'll try our hardest." Rick said. "Why?"

"I need to do something on the other side of Sanctuary while you plan to confront them at the front gates." Sherry said in a final tone. Rick knew Sherry long enough to know that tone meant that her mind was made up and whatever was proposed would eventually happen.

Rick smiled as he stifled a laugh. "Why you? Think about Alexandria, Sherry. Everyone depends on you." He said as he mimicked what she said to him earlier about his gate plan.

Sherry's nostrils flared but she knew he was kidding. As she knew she couldn't change his mind, he already knew she couldn't change hers. "I need to do this. Some of my friends have zero protection and I would like them out of there sooner than later if walkers are headed their way." Sherry reasoned.

"You thinking about doing this all by yourself?" He asked.

"She doesn't have to." Carol said as she took a step towards them. "I'll go with her." Sherry looked to Carol and smiled faintly.

Rick made a nod of approval. "People will be distracted with what's going on near the front gates. You going to slip by behind the library?" He asked.

"Yeah. That passage has seemed to work half the time with me. Good odds nowadays." Sherry said thinking about her group's attempted escape from Sanctuary. It felt like centuries ago.

"Alright. You'll want to be fast with it." Rick said. "Once everything starts happening and the fence starts hollering, it's going to bring a lot more walkers in. The place is going to be surrounded so getting out will be a lot harder than getting in."

Sherry could feel a fear forming that made her stomach ache but she took a deep breath and nodded her understanding. "We can do it." She said. "We'll meet up with Daryl's group going east."

"Good luck to you guys then." Rick said with a heavy tone. Things could easily go wrong with their entire effort and everyone knew it.

"Same with you." Sherry said in a gloom and walked away towards the front door to head to Terri's house.

Carol stopped her as they stood in front of the door. "Can you tell me exactly what I signed up for?" She asked.

Sherry looked to Carol but then quickly turned her gaze to the ground. "I need to get something…some people."

"Who is it that we are getting?" Carol inquired.

"The rest of Negan's wives." Sherry said as she thought of how much time she had spent in Alexandria without them. It made her feel guilty that they still had to deal with him and the other Saviors. "They don't need to be there anymore."

Carol's eyes widened slightly but she didn't say a word or even try to sway Sherry's strategy that would better benefit the Alexandrian's. It was simply the right thing to do with all that they have been through.

"We'll get them out." Carol finally said confidently.

"Thank you." Sherry said below a whisper as appreciation took over.

"Get some sleep. We're all going to need it before tomorrow night." Carol instructed.

Sherry nodded and walked out of Rick's house. It was more than just the Alexandrian's that she needed to gather more strength. She needed to finish what she set out to do when she first came to Sanctuary. It was always about protecting the people she cared about the most. And now they needed her to be stronger than she ever was before. If anything, she had to make sure her original group and her friends were out of harm's way. Which meant everyone she cared about, had to be out of Sanctuary once and for all.

…

Dwight walked into the passage way in between his house and the house that occupied Negan's wives. He slowly crept into their backyard with a small pack strapped to his shoulder. It was past three in the morning as everyone in Sanctuary slept soundly. The guards hardly second guessed Dwight's motives when he walked in between the two houses. Starvation was taking a toll on the people of Sanctuary. They weren't thinking on their toes or acting quickly. Everyone was starting to become sluggish. A lot of people were sent on supply runs to various communities or nearby neighborhoods. Every so often they would prove to be lucky but the Saviors were in the hundreds and feeding an army was easier said than done.

It made the hatred for the other communities strong as many hoped to take back control of each and every single person who stood against them. Everyone in Sanctuary felt they deserved the food that the other communities earned, found, and grew themselves.

Dwight fought his own hunger by receiving more than others did because of his status in Sanctuary but he never ate it all of it himself. Which led him to knock quietly on the back door of Negan's wives home.

No lights turned on but Dwight could hear the doorknob slowly turn as Christy answered the door. Dwight smiled at her and took the pack that was full of canned food from his shoulder and gave it to her. In exchange, she gave him an empty pack back to him as she grabbed the full pack and put it in the house behind her.

"Thank you." Christy said quietly. "You don't have to do this."

Dwight rolled his eyes. "Sherry wouldn't like it any other way. You know that." He said.

Christy smiled at the mention of her name. "Have you seen her lately? Is she okay?" She asked quietly with concern.

Dwight nodded. "I actually saw her today." He said with a small smile.

Christy looked happy by the news. "Thanks again." She said. "Same time next week?"

Dwight thought about the news he received of Alexandria attacking soon. Not knowing exactly when that day was going to come he just nodded for an answer. She nodded back and started closing the door. He quickly slipped away and made it to the back door of his own house. He stayed in his backyard as reached into his pocket for a cigarette and leaned against his house.

Conditions in Sanctuary had worsened as time had gone on and Dwight knew it was only a matter of time when the Saviors would feel desperate. So far, they listened to Negan despite starvation but Dwight knew almost all suppliers would be joining up with Alexandria's efforts soon.

He walked into his house from the back door as he noticed the quietness from everyone's somewhat peaceful slumber. Since Yolanda had left, Carson and Mark moved in. Mark had been bed ridden for several weeks as he tried to regain strength since his own ironing ceremony that happened last month. Dwight could empathize all he wanted but knew Mark's condition was far worse than his ever was. When Dwight had his ironing, it happened to be raining on that particular day which made his iron less hot and it did less damage. Mark didn't have that benefit. Dwight knew that pain and couldn't even imagine the burn being more hurtful.

He walked up to the second floor with some pain medication in his pocket that he snatched from the supply building. Dwight knew he could get away with a lot more than most in Sanctuary so he didn't worry a lot about repercussions that could happen if anyone found out he stole certain things.

He knocked on Mark's door once and opened the door. "Got more meds for you." He said and threw them at Mark's bed.

No noise was made as Dwight waited for a response. Mark never slept so soundly that he didn't even know someone opened the door or not. As Dwight waited more, he started feeling suspicious and turned on the lights to see if Mark was even there. Unsurprisingly, he wasn't. With nostrils flared, Dwight turned on his heel to try and find Mark but knew exactly where he was.

…

Dwight quietly opened the back door of Negan's wives home and walked inside cautiously. Before making his way to the back, he saw the guards at the front door were now passed out and asleep. Dwight knew the security of the girls was low priority but it was still dangerous to even walk near their house. Dwight could almost feel the right side of his face matching his left at the thought of being caught as he walked up the stairs to Amber's room.

He opened the door to see Mark and Amber in bed with nothing but a sheet covering them up. They both looked at him with fear that he was someone else but once recognition kicked in still stared at him with caution for being caught regardless.

"Out." Dwight said sternly and quietly at Mark as he held his thumb up to point to the door. Dwight turned away as Mark quickly got out from under the sheets as Amber did her best to cover herself up in front of Dwight. Mark got his clothes on as fast as he could and walked through the doorway and down the stairs with Dwight following behind him.

They discreetly made it to their house through back door and no sooner than Dwight could close the door behind him, he grabbed Mark by the collar and dragged him to the living room. "Do your fuckin' ears act as a wind tunnel, Mark?" Dwight seethed. "What the fuck are you doing?"

"I needed to see…" Mark started as Dwight pushed him in the bigger room.

Dwight slapped him hard across Mark's burn as Mark yelped in pain. "Did you forget how much that fucking hurts?!" Dwight asked him. Mark held his face with shock that Dwight would hurt him. Dwight looked offended by the way Mark reacted and went to slap him again. "What's wrong? You didn't think I would sink so low by looking out for your ass? Amber is in more danger than you are when you see her, you dipshit." Dwight explained as he took a step back to try and get ahold of himself.

"Negan hasn't touched her since everything happened between us." Mark said.

"You think that was a fuckin' act of God?" Dwight asked. "Carson told me that Sherry had to tell Negan to go easy on Amber. What do you think is going to happen now that Sherry is gone? You fuckin' moron!" Dwight muttered the last part to himself as he could hear Mark start to get emotional.

Dwight wasn't having it and threw the medication he was planning on giving him earlier as hard as he could towards Mark. "Here are your fuckin' meds." He said and stormed out of the room and upstairs to his bedroom.

Dwight slammed the door behind him as he tried to keep his composure. If Mark had only known the damage that he could continue to do to Amber, he would have stayed away as much as possible. Dwight didn't even know the full extent of Sherry's punishment at the time but now that it was out in the open, Mark was just asking for a beating for himself and Amber.

He laid on his bed and took a deep breath. A part of him felt that he was being too harsh on Mark but Dwight thought it would have been nice if someone warned _him_ before anything happened with him and Sherry. He was only trying to do Mark a favor by having the process be quick and painless. Even though it was far from it.

He was more pissed off that Mark didn't learn from his mistake the first time. He even had a lifelong scar to remember his past mistakes. However, at the same time, Dwight couldn't blame the poor guy. Even though the repercussions were great, he understood how great it felt to be with someone in spite of the dangers that came with it.

Even in his very own room he was reminded of the best day in his life. The day was marred with other bad memories but it still didn't take away what it was like in the moment. He remembered holding Sherry as they laid on his bed next to each other thinking about a better tomorrow. The better days had not yet come along.

There was so much more to lose if they failed overthrowing Negan. As he could feel himself calming down and drifting to sleep, the stresses of how important their mission was started to wane. All he could do was hope for that better tomorrow and that it would soon come. And then he dreamt of Sherry.

…

Sherry jolted up from her bed in a sweat as she breathed in and out quickly. She started choking on her own tears as they came down without restraint. She threw the covers off of her as she sat on the edge of her bed. She recalled her dream being vivid and a flashback from a situation that happened to her in Sanctuary. She started hyperventilating as she rested her head on her hands. She looked down to the floor as she tried to get ahold of herself slowly.

She thought of the dream as it replayed over and over again in her head which didn't help her calm down. But she still couldn't shake it from the forefront of her mind. It was almost as if Negan was right next to her forcing himself on her over and over again. Even though she hadn't seen him in a month, he still suffocated her as she pleaded internally that it would stop one day.

This particular memory was just as much confusing to her as it was terrifying. She was at a point where it was undeniable that she had feelings for Negan at one point in time. And the more time that she spent with the man, the more she could feel herself slip with him.

She tried to convince herself that she was out of imminent danger and in Alexandria and took a couple more breaths as she started crying again. She couldn't understand what was happening to her. For years, she learned to shut as many feelings away as she possibly could. She thought being away from her nightmare would have made things easier but it was having the opposite effect. It seemed that everything that she was trying to shut out was coming back all at once.

The door opened as Terri walked inside and instantly put her arms around her. Sherry couldn't feel any emotions in regards to it. She just felt raw and the bitter emptiness that encircled her.

"Just ride it out." Terri whispered. "Try and breathe as evenly as possible. You can get through this." Terri brushed Sherry's hair that rested on her back as Sherry continued to get a hold of herself.

Slowly Sherry's breathing felt more controlled as she tried to only breathe through her nose. She started shaking as her body relaxed and she could feel the cold sweat on her body. She cried as the wave of panic fell away and she was left to pick up the damage that only seemed to increase with time.

"These dreams are becoming more frequent." Terri said as she still held Sherry.

Sherry nodded as Terri let go and sat on the bed next to her. "I can't shut him out." Sherry said. "He just keeps coming back."

"He won't touch you ever again, sweetie." Terri said calmly. In the month that Sherry had lived with the McCoy's, Sherry shared some information with Terri about what happened in Sanctuary as Yolanda helped Terri connect the dots. Terri was caught up on everything that happened while they were absent from the terrible place that invaded Sherry's thoughts.

"You can't say that." Sherry said thinking about Negan's promises of dragging her back to Sanctuary. "He's only going to let me stay here to see Alexandria burn. Once that's out of the way, it'll only be a matter of time."

"Then we better keep on fighting. If you stop fighting, that means you are already giving your life away." Terri said.

Sherry sobbed as she put her head into her hands again. "Terri, I can't do this forever." Sherry said. "I can't think of what life used to be before him. That's all I see. And it's eating me up inside."

"Sherry, it might seem like this will drag on forever and I can't guarantee that it's going to end anytime soon. But we have to have faith that our efforts will be for the betterment of everyone." Terri said. "Can you imagine what life would be like when we don't have to worry about him anymore?"

"I try to. I really do. But it's too hard to think about the future when it might not happen the way I want it to." Sherry confessed. "I want to move on but I can't."

"I know, Sherry." Terri said. "But we won't let him get you. You have a big family that cares for you. Everyone in Alexandria has your back. That's what we do for each other. And we want everyone to benefit from a life without Negan. It will all be worth it."

Sherry wanted to agree but chose not to. She just sat in her bed and blinked back more tears. "Get some more sleep, Sherry." Terri said with a smile. "Do you want me to stay for a little while longer?"

Sherry shook her head. "No. Spend as much time with Jason as you can before we leave. With us taking care of the outposts after Sanctuary, I'm not sure how long we'll be gone." She said.

Terri smiled and brushed the side of Sherry's face with her hand. "Feel better, sweetie. And if you need me, just holler." She said and got off Sherry's bed as she sank into the covers. "Good night."

"Good night." Sherry repeated back to her and tried to get comfortable again. It was difficult to get back to sleep as the memory played on in her head that sent her into a panic attack. It may have been a dream but it was a memory that really happened. One of the many times that she was with Negan, she would make herself intoxicated to calm her nerves before the inevitable happened. More often than not, it made the time she spent with Negan better. But while drunk, it made her time with him all the more confusing as the lines that were clear as day started to blur.

"Fuck you, Negan." Sherry whispered to herself. She hated that she had to get herself plastered while he had his way with her. The times where she did that, she would wake up in his bed with bruises all over her body. More often than not when Sherry drank, he drank with her. And he sometimes got violent. But Sherry didn't care because she didn't remember too much. She thought it was better that way.

But the things that she could remember were the things that scared her the most. She could remember bonding with him as friends or lovers would. They laughed together, kissed each other, and talked about their entire lives to each other. Sherry hoped she wouldn't remember anything. But she didn't have trouble forgetting the good stuff. Which would have made it easier on her life if she forgot about those memories completely.

Yet those memories came and haunted her. She felt worse of a person because of it.

 _Use it,_ Sherry thought to herself. She knew being conflicted wasn't going to work for her or anyone around her. She had to settle on one emotion at a time. For the time being, she had to choose which one as she fought with Alexandria and stick with it until it was all over. She couldn't one day shoot at Negan and then think of a happy moment they had together.

She thought of her friends still in Sanctuary and all of the terrible things that he had done. Among those things, he got her to trust him. She had to temporarily take away that trust and focus on the bad. Otherwise, she wouldn't be of any use to anyone. _Keep strong,_ Sherry thought. _It could all be over one day._

…

Several people lined up at the supply building in Sanctuary as they waited for their rations. Dwight walked up to the front as people muttered to each other how hungry they were or how it took a long time for Dwight to finally make an appearance. Dwight got keys out of his pocket and started fidgeting with the lock on the door.

Carson walked up and stood next to him as he looked to all of the people. "George is in the infirmary." He whispered to Dwight.

Dwight looked up to him with his eyebrows scrunched together. "George? Why?" He asked.

"What do you think?" Carson asked as he massaged his hand which Dwight shot a month ago. "Malnourishment and exhaustion."

Dwight opened the door and motioned for several Saviors to help with delivering portions to those who stood in line. "I know this is a win-win for us…." Carson started.

Dwight cut him off before he could say anything else. "We aren't talking about this here." Dwight muttered in a low voice.

"Fuck this shit!" Someone yelled near the back of the line and started storming up to Dwight and Carson. Dwight remembered his name as being Ryan.

Dwight shoved him back when Ryan tried to get nose to nose with him. "Calm the fuck down and get back in your spot." Dwight demanded.

"Dwight, I have my wife and children to think about!" Ryan said as tears almost erupted. "They are starving! Weren't more supplies supposed to come last night? They didn't come! They abandoned us!"

"We all have people to worry about! Now get back in line!" Dwight said as he saw from the corner of his eye that Negan was emerging from his house. "Do it, man." He warned before Negan suspected something was out of line. Dwight liked Ryan. He was a nice guy. But he couldn't do anything to help him if Negan was involved.

"Ryan's right!" Someone shouted in line. "We should all leave this place!" Murmurs of agreement or dissension erupted from the growing crowd. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to most, Negan was getting closer.

"Shut the fuck up, Porter!" Dwight yelled towards the man who made the outburst. "You do your part amongst the Saviors or you'll get what's fuckin' coming for you!" Dwight knew how many people were fiercely loyal to Negan. It outnumbered the people who let their hunger override loyalty.

"What, Dwight?" Porter yelled at him. "What are you going to do?" Several people lined up behind Porter in support as a feeling crept over Dwight. He knew what was going to go down as the people behind Dwight got closer with knives being drawn. Dwight craned his neck as the switch in his head was slowly turning on.

"Last chance." Dwight said. "You guys wise up or I will put each of you down." He watched as Ryan slowly made his way away from Porter's group as he thought of the people who depended on him. Dwight was grateful that Ryan wouldn't be amongst the _ten_ that stood before him that were going to die very soon. Several other Saviors surrounded them with their own weapons drawn with Takuya being one of them. Negan stood off to the side with his arms folded as he looked on the spectacle with a smile. More noticeably, Lucille was present.

"No. We want out." Porter said. "You'll let us leave right now."

"Very well." Dwight said as he contemplated the ten that were cornered. He decided that their deaths could be justified as he quickly unholstered and cocked his gun quicker than anyone could react and shot Porter square in the nose. Porter was pushed back and fell dead to the ground as the men in the circle started attacking everyone they could see. With an obvious uphill battle before the group, Dwight felt bad for them but went in the thick of it as he put his gun back in his holster and got his switchblade out as other loyal Saviors did the same.

He came up behind a Savior who was busy fighting another man and grabbed him by the forehead and stuck the knife in the man's throat as the man started gurgling in shock and defeat. Dwight pushed him to the ground and moved on to his next target. His switch was turned on as he looked wildly around for someone else to kill. Someone stumbled next to him as he fell to the ground as Dwight took his chance and straddled him as he struck the knife in his face multiple times. The sound was cringe worthy as Dwight could definitely declare the man was dead.

Suddenly he felt someone grab him from behind as a knife was about to be struck to his own neck. He held the hand at bay as he butted the man in the head with the back of his own head. He then took his own knife and started flailing it behind him in hopes he would hit something behind him. He heard the man behind him yell in agony and let Dwight go as Dwight turned around to see he stabbed him in the eye. It wasn't deep enough as the man fought to get it out of his skull. Dwight tightened his grip on the blade as the man's shriek got more high pitched. Dwight put all of his weight on the knife as it slowly made way through the man's cranium. Blood squirted on Dwight's left side of his face as the man beneath him didn't put up a struggle any longer.

Dwight stood up and stepped on the man's head to get his knife out. There were two more people left in the fight as the men realized that they had lost. Standing up against the Saviors in the way that they did was stupid. Morale was low in Sanctuary but a fight like the one that just happened would remind people why they shouldn't mess with the Saviors. It was partially what Dwight wanted to happen. He wanted people to be torn apart within. Confusion amongst the ranks was never a good thing during a war.

One of the men that was left in Porter's group instantly had a change in heart as he started crying. He looked at Dwight who was stained with blood and walked up to him the same time that Dwight saw Negan step onto the scene.

The man took Dwight by the shoulders as the other man in Porter's group was held at gunpoint. He had his hands in the air as he also cried for his life being at stake.

"I'm sorry, Dwight. Please. Please take pity on me." The man said.

Dwight became slightly sympathetic but didn't budge with Negan being so close. "We told you to stand down and you didn't. We can't trust you anymore." He said to the man as he held him back at arm's length.

"Please, please! PLEASE!" The man continued to yell as Dwight saw Negan with Lucille being held by both hands above his head. Dwight closed his eyes as he continued to hold the man up for Negan.

"NO!" The man yelled but was cut off followed by the sound of a crunch that Dwight could hear in front of him. Dwight instantly let go of the man and opened his eyes to see the man crumble to the ground. Negan laughed as the others that were in the crowd joined in with the laughter and cheered for their leader.

"Fuckin' treason!" Negan said and took another swing and then another even nastier hit. "I only ask one thing from all of my fuckin' Saviors! What is it?"

"DEVOTION!" The crowd yelled.

"I know that we are in a tough spot! But who is going to fucking pay for it all?!" Negan asked.

"Rick Grimes!" The crowd shouted in unison.

"You are goddamn right about that." Negan said quietly and battered the man who was already dead. "Rick…" _Hit._ "Fuckin…" _Hit._ "Grimes." _Hit._

A wail was heard from the one man who stood alone as he knew what was coming next. Negan turned to him as the man cowered by his presence.

Negan snorted which turned into a low chuckle. He walked up really close to the man as it made him sob even more. Negan leaned down to meet his eye line as Dwight could compare the encounter to any documentary about a wild predator with its food. "Why the fuck are you crying? You wanted to leave, didn't you?" Negan mocked.

The man nodded but couldn't bring himself to say anything.

"No doubt if I let you leave you would fucking join up with the Alexandrians, wouldn't you?" Negan asked as he smacked the man upside the head two times in a row. "Wouldn't you?" Negan demanded again.

The man shook his head. "No. No, I wouldn't have!" He said in between cries.

Negan took Lucille as he prepared to hit the man with it. "Oh, shit!" The man said but only closed his eyes. Negan hit him in the knee as hard as he could with Lucille as the crush of bones could have been heard by everyone in close proximity. Even some of Negan's most loyal followers showed faces of disgust as the man fell to the ground in fetal position. It didn't take long for the man's instincts to kick in as he used his arms to crawl away.

Negan raised his bat again and swung it down on the man's back. More crunching noises ensued as Dwight watched. The man yelped as Negan used the barbed wire in the bat to drag him back to be directly in front of him. The man tried to resist but Negan was far too strong for him to put up much of a fight.

"Don't fucking lie to me!" Negan said. "You would have joined up with him. You would have!"

The man shook his head but started crying again as Negan picked the barbed wire out of his flesh. "You want to join Alexandria? Join them in hell you son of a fucking bitch!" Negan said and went to town with Lucille. The screams became muted as blood spilled from the side of the man's mouth as he slowly started forming into pieces and was unrecognizable. Dwight shook his head as everyone in the crowd cheered. He saw Ryan look on at the entire spectacle as his jaw dropped. Dwight knew the realization of being so close to the same outcome was more than a shock. The young man slowly stepped away from the crowd and walked back to his home as he became aware that his two options were either to starve or be killed in the most terrifying way imaginable.

When Negan finished, he looked around at everyone and let out a victory yell with a smile on his face which made the crowd even more rambunctious. He kicked what was left of the man's skull for good measure as the Saviors ate the spectacle up.

"We want food? We'll get food! We'll make Alexandria pay for what they have done. They are messing with the fucking system!" Negan yelled.

They all cheered uproariously with news that something was eventually going to be done about Rick Grimes. It was a name that everyone grew to hate as they thought of their never ending hunger.

"We'll get them! When the time is right, we'll get the fucking bastards!" Negan said.

The shouts of triumph came full heartedly as Negan once again established order among his men. The clamor started to die down as everyone eventually went back to their business and got in line for their rations. Negan looked to Dwight and nodded for him to walk with him as he already started walking away from the mess.

Dwight stepped over what was left of Porter's group and made his way next to Negan as they both walked towards the mill.

"That was some good fighting back there." Negan commented.

Dwight shrugged. "Things were just getting out of hand. I took care of it." He said the least bit interested in the conversation.

"I'm impressed. Since Sherry has been taken you have done the opposite of what I suspected you would do. Really over that bitch, aren't you?" He asked while scratching his cheek which had a healing scar when Sherry shot at him.

"Yep." Dwight said without a second thought to try and sound as convincing as possible. If Negan wanted to think that he was striving for power and enjoyed killing people, that was his prerogative. Dwight didn't try and persuade him otherwise if it helped the façade of dependability.

"People like Porter? They are few. Only the strong ones are left. If they can't handle order, then we have to fucking get rid of them." Negan said but then changed the subject. "You hear from our supply runners at all?" He asked.

Dwight shook his head and got out a cigarette. "I sent some people to check their route. See if they have any answers. They should have been back last night." Dwight lied as he recalled exactly what happened to the supply runners.

"Let me know." Negan said. "If fucking walkers got 'em, I'll be disappointed. I thought they were better than getting themselves caught like that."

Dwight looked to Negan as he stuck the cigarette in his mouth. "You thought about what we are going to do for a push?" Dwight asked.

"I'm waiting for them to make the first move." Negan said confidently. "I have something up my sleeve but they need to push first for it to happen."

Dwight was a little perturbed that Negan wouldn't relay the information he needed but also worried for the communities. Unfortunately, this was his day to stay in Sanctuary for his job and he couldn't leave out of the blue. He would have been caught if he wasn't where he was supposed to be. It was times like these where Dwight didn't know what was more important. Blowing his cover and joining up with Alexandria or giving the communities the information they needed.

"Well, I'm gonna go blow some steam." Negan said as he started heading the direction of his wives' home. "We'll discuss more details later."

Dwight watched him walk away but eventually walked back to where Carson was. Carson was giving a family some of their weekly rations as Dwight stood next to him. "You still planning on checking some outposts today?" He asked Carson.

Carson nodded in reply.

"I need you to make a stop before you head back here." Dwight explained as he snapped his fingers to another Savior to take Carson's place. They walked away from several people for privacy so Dwight could go further into depth of what was going on.

"Where do you need me to go?" Carson asked.

"I need you to make a stop to Alexandria." Dwight said in a low voice as he looked to the ground. "You need to warn them about attacking Sanctuary."

"Why? Does Negan have something planned?" Carson asked.

Dwight shrugged. "He wouldn't tell me but he wants Alexandria to make the first hit. He has something planned for when that happens." He said.

Carson looked worried but nodded. "You worried that he didn't give you that information?" He asked.

Dwight tried not to think about the idea of Negan not trusting him and shook it off. "I just hope he's trying to play it close to the chest." Dwight said.

Carson nodded but breathed slowly. "I hope so too." He said. "What do you think would happen to us if he found out we were working against him?"

Dwight looked to Porter's men who were still in pieces next to the supply building. "Probably wouldn't be any better than that." He mentioned.

Carson cringed as he shook visibly. "I'll leave in an hour." He said.

Dwight nodded. "Good. And thanks." He said.

Carson left to go back to his duties as Dwight walked to the mill. The jobs he had in Sanctuary were still a must to do. He couldn't even act like he was trying to slack off but instead tried to go about as normally as he could. A lot depended on him doing that. He only hoped he wouldn't have to do it much longer.

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE – My parents moved from Chicago to Oklahoma. A lump forms in my throat just thinking about it. NOTHING AGAINST Oklahoma. But my hometown is Chicago. I love my town and whenever I visited my parents, I was visiting the place I grew up. Not the case anymore**

 **I am telling readers because I will not be able to post another chapter until sometime after I get out. I will be back on the 1** **st** **of April. Which means I could have a chapter out a week after that.**

 **And also, I get to go to Walker Stalker Convention in Denver on the 2** **nd** **! I'm going to take some selfies with my favorite Walking Dead cast. Yaaaas!**


	4. Chapter 4

**AUTHOR'S NOTE – Josh McDermitt, Michael Cudlitz, Alanna Masterson, Michael Rooker, Austin Amelio, Sonequa Martin-Green, Lawrence Gilliard Jr… These are people I interacted with during Denver's Walker Stalker Convention. First time that I ever went to a convention and it was soo much fun! Bob gives the best hugs. Eugene does the best selfies. Sasha couldn't be any sweeter. Abraham made me feel protected haha. And Merle is just as amazing as you think he would be.**

 **Dwight signed my favorite Walking Dead Cover (it's issue 151…very badass). Austin Amelio will do a great job as Dwight from what his comic book character is. However, for writing, I have always envisioned someone else to play him. As far as I am concerned, the Dwight in THIS fanfiction is very different from the show and the comics. Do I think Austin Amelio fits with my vision for my fanfiction? No, I don't. Therefore, if you do read this fanfiction and think that he doesn't fit his persona from the Dwight on the show and comics, it's probably because he doesn't. Readers of this fanfic will be better off thinking of him as a completely different person.**

 **That being said, Austin Amelio is doing a fine job playing his own version of Dwight. Also, he's a very nice guy in person and I'm glad that I was able to go to his first ever convention.**

 **Zachary Levi will always be my Dwight. Period.**

 **Don't get me started on who they have playing the equivalent of Sherry. Don't like her one bit haha.**

 **Also, welcome to the newbies that have just discovered this FanFic. Leave me a review and let me know what you think of the Many Hearts to Tread series!**

 **Also, I LIKED the finale. I don't care if it had a cliffhanger or not. Negan is finally here! For me, the Walking Dead has officially started. My prediction for Jeffrey Dean Morgan being Negan was in August 2014. That has been my vision by writing this fanfiction. It was an amazing moment to have that vision come on television. Awesome.**

Chapter 4

"It's quiet today." Seth said as he looked from his outpost to the surrounding areas. His team hardly saw any walkers in the area as the day continued to be peaceful and still. It had been rainy or cloudy that whole day and without noise from walkers or even crickets chirping, the tone was more eerie than usual.

"Today has been slow to say the least." Another Savior named Nate said. "I'm going to take a piss. Let me know if anything happens while I am gone."

"Can you check on Laura and John while you are out there?" Seth asked. "I haven't heard much of them from below."

"Sure thing, boss." Nate said and walked out of the outpost.

Silence ensued inside the outpost as Seth sat in his chair and looked out the window. Nothing seemed suspicious visibly but his gut was telling him that something wasn't right. He couldn't put his finger on it but he could almost feel as if someone was watching him. He continued to look out the window as he tried to breathe as slowly as he possibly could only to hear more of his surroundings.

The feeling of being surrounded started to creep in as Seth tried to shake it off as his imagination running wild. Just then he heard a scratch at the door inside the outpost which made him jump near clear to the ceiling as he was already on guard for something coming to get him. He knew it couldn't have been a walker as there was only a ladder entry to get where the small room was of the outpost.

Knowing it was probably Nate pulling a fast one on him, he walked towards the door in annoyance as he tried to shake off the feeling of anxiety. "Forget how to open doors, asshole?" He asked as he opened the door. By the time the door was opened wide, he knew he made a mistake as a man with a crossbow stood in front of him with a bolt aimed directly towards him. Seth quickly tried to shut the door in front of the man but instead the door got kicked back open roughly as the man made his way inside the outpost.

Seth tried to make it to the radio to let Sanctuary know they were being attacked but then quickly lost his train of thought as he could only feel pain. He looked down and saw a bolt had pierced his chest as he tripped over his chair and fell to the ground. He started screaming in shock as the man put his crossbow down and unsheathed a knife.

…

Sherry heard the struggle and screams in the outpost above them as Daryl made his way inside for the kill. She stayed crouched low as Laura and John knelt and were bound in between Rick, Jason, Sherry, Heath, Sasha, and Carol.

"You're going to pay for what you did to Nate and Seth." John seethed towards Rick. "You're going to pay for everything you have done."

"We'll just see about that." Rick said as the muted screams in the outpost above ceased and they heard Daryl making his way back down the ladder to join them.

"We can give you a choice." Heath said. "You want to die here, that's your choice. You want to live, you can join with us in Alexandria."

"What's it going to be?" Jason asked them.

John looked to everyone and spat at Jason. "We'd be dead either way. You really think Alexandria can do shit protecting themselves? Against Negan? You are all fucking full of shit!"

"Is that your answer?" Rick taunted with a look that Sherry hadn't seen. Everyone in the group looked unfazed by this side of him coming out and she assumed it wasn't out of the norm for him to play the bad cop. She was just glad that she wasn't an enemy of his.

"Want to hear my answer clearly? You guys can go fuck yourselves." John said as he started to chuckle.

The laugh was cut off short as Rick put his pistol up and shot him as the silencer caught the sound. It took a lot of collecting but most of their forces were able to carry silencers for their weapons when they needed it before they made it to Sanctuary's front gates. From this point on, they wanted to be as stealthy as possible. John fell silent swiftly and slumped down to the forest floor.

Rick looked to Laura with the same look in his eyes. He didn't waver upon whether or not she was a woman. She would receive the same punishment if she chose the wrong answer.

"What about you?" Rick asked her.

"What _about_ me? Why would I join you? Your group of fighters is made up of soccer moms, grocery store clerks, and whores." She said as she eyed Sherry from the corner of her eye with the last word. Laura gave Sherry her full attention and faced towards her. "You really trust her to help you guys? She'll turn on you no matter what protection you give her. She's done it before." Laura's voice was riddled with mockery as she let her low thoughts of Sherry be said out loud for everyone to hear.

"Hey!" Rick rebuked and pulled Laura's chin to face him. "You're don't talk to her. You talk to me. You with us or against us?" He asked her again.

"I would rather die than turn my back on Negan." Laura said fearlessly. "What he gives for betrayal is a lot worse than death." Laura then looked to Sherry again. "Good luck, bitch."

Sherry's nostrils flared knowing that Laura was voicing something that she thought of everyday. It made her angry to feel pinned and to have so much fear for a less optimal outcome in the war. Sherry raised her own gun up and tried not to think too deeply about what she was about to do.

Laura looked to her with a smile. "Your people can't trust me being alive. I'll ruin anything you have going for you. And you'll just wind up getting to Sanctuary faster than you're scheduled to come back." Sherry kept her gun pointed to Laura but did nothing.

"What are you waiting for? I made my decision." Laura said. "Do it."

With that, she shot Laura in between the eyes.

Sherry blinked several times and gulped down the guilt that was starting to rise. _That's how it's supposed to be now,_ she thought. _We gave her a choice and she took the option she wanted._

It didn't take away the bile that rose in her throat as she got up to walk away as tears stung her eyes. She heard Laura's body fall and it only made it more internally agonizing. She tried to put on a brave face for everyone else but was failing miserably. It was something that she should have already been over in their kind of world but she had only killed a handful of people by her own hand. Death was a natural part of their world. But that fact still didn't take away the pain she felt when she lost someone she cared about or had to forcefully snuff a life from someone else.

She overheard her group talking as they waited for Richard's group to meet up with them so they would proceed to travel towards Sanctuary together. Sherry tried to get a hold of herself and kept her back turned from everyone else as she fought to take hold of her composure and to refrain from throwing up in front of a crowd.

Sherry heard footsteps behind her as Rick suddenly stood next to her looking into the forest. "It's not always easy to do what you did." He said calmly. Of all people, she knew that he could relate as he just got rid of John and Nate just moments earlier.

She nodded and quickly wiped the tears from her eyes. "Yeah, I know." She said as she took a couple of deep breaths.

"I tell myself every time I kill someone that we are doing all of this for a reason." Rick said. "It matters for something."

"I know." Sherry repeated while her voice broke. She heard the low roll of car engine's getting closer and saw Alexandria's army heading their direction.

"Sherry, it's not going to get easier. This way of life isn't ever going to stop." Rick said carefully but with sympathy as he watched the cars come to a stop and people soon emerged from the vehicles after that. "We do what we have to do to survive. And so others have a shot to live a better life. Judith. Jason's kids. Jenna. Maggie's baby. They all deserve something more."

Sherry didn't say anything but looked to Rick with understanding. He gave her a small smile and patted her on the back then walked away to leave her alone with her thoughts. What he said didn't make her feel better about the situation but it did bring clarity to why they had to do things that were extremely hard for her.

She took a couple more breaths and tried to focus on the rest of the day. She hoped everything would end on a good note. The only good note would be if she got her friends out of Sanctuary in one piece. _Please let it happen,_ she thought and joined everyone as they congregated together for more strategizing as they made their final push towards Sanctuary. She was impressed by the already growing numbers and knew more were walking from where their cars were parked. Sherry watched as Tobin and Michonne rode inside the Gila and parked it close to the outpost.

Sherry watched as Rick gave Maggie a hug as the woman looked slightly distressed.

"I just don't understand. Everything was all ready to go. I talked with Hilltop and everyone seemed to rally behind." Maggie explained.

"What happened?" Rick asked in alarm.

"Gregory is gone." Maggie said. "No one knows where he went but because he is missing, some people at Hilltop are unsure whether or not to attack Sanctuary. Rick, Sanctuary has attacked Hilltop multiple times in the last month. A lot of people don't want to provoke Negan anymore."

"Dammit." Rick muttered to himself as he let the news sink in. He sighed and looked to Maggie. "It's alright. Let's just go into this as planned. They still have no idea that we are coming today and we still have a lot of people from Alexandria, Kingdom, and the several people from New Haven. Let's use that to our advantage." Rick said as members of Alexandria, Hilltop, and the Kingdom came around to form a big circle. Rick got up on the ladder and stood on top of the outpost to get everyone's attention. Everyone quieted down to hear what he had to say. She looked around to see at least a hundred people that were from the four communities combined. It was a fantastic sight and something that would shock Saviors alike.

Sherry heard a low purr as something brushed next to her. She looked down to see Shiva and Ezekiel making their way to the front of the group. Her eyes widened as Ezekiel looked to her with humor in his eyes. "Don't worry, she just ate. You'll be fine." He said with a wink.

Sherry tried to focus on Rick's speech without the fear of a tiger standing right next to her take away from the moment. She looked up to Rick and exhaled slowly worried if the smallest movement would make Shiva angry for no apparent reason.

"We're going to Sanctuary today." Rick started. "You might feel like you are the only one who is scared to go further than where you are standing. Trust me, you aren't." He said that and looked to several members in the group including Sherry.

"This is something that has to be done. We will not accept the new world order that Negan has forced us to comply with. What we scavenge is ours. What we grow is ours. We make what is ours and we ourselves do not belong to him." He said as many people voiced their agreement.

"It's not about coming on top of another community. As we all know, communities can live among each other peacefully. We can build something that makes our world close to what it used to be. We can't do that with Negan killing our families and friends. His time thinking that he is in charge is over. It's time for us to step up and sweep the rug from underneath him.

"Sacrifices will be made. Lives will be taken. But if we succeed, we will build something great." Rick said as everyone soaked in his every word. "With that in mind, let's go knock down a fence."

Everyone said their agreement but didn't necessarily cheer. Everyone knew that lots of people could potentially die within the next several hours. The mood was repressed as everyone tried to look ready for what was to come but everyone inside felt ill-prepared.

"Time to go back to Sanctuary?" Jason asked Sherry. His voice held a lot of emotion as Sherry knew he was just as scared to go back as she was. Sherry was briefly reminded of that last time she saw Jason's family in Sanctuary which was when they first attempted to escape. Luckily, Jason and his family were able to find their way to Alexandria. She hoped they would be able to escape once more.

Sherry watched as each person started walking in the woods on each side of the road that led straight to Sanctuary's front gates. Members from the Kingdom and New Haven went to the left of the road as Hilltop and Alexandria went to the right. She nodded an answer. "Time to go back to Sanctuary." She repeated as she followed behind.

…

They were all as quiet as they could possibly be as thunder rolled above them. Sherry walked near the front as she often would look over Rick's shoulder when he looked at the map. When she wasn't looking at the map, she was looking at her surroundings on her guard. She knew they were coming up on traps that cluttered the forest around the front entrance in Sanctuary.

"Rick, you copy?" The walkie-talkie sounded from Rick's side as it was attached to his belt. Sherry kept her gaze around them just in case she saw something that looked slightly suspicious as did everyone else in their group.

He picked it up and brought it to his lips to speak. "I hear you, Sasha." Rick said.

"You guys getting close?" She asked. She waited by the outpost with the Gila. They wanted to be stealthy when walking further into enemy territory and they all decided the Gila would draw too much attention. Sasha was assigned to wait along with Aaron as the rest walked to the entrance. They would wait until Rick said to move ahead.

"We're almost up on the snares that they have been set up around the perimeter. Dwight was able to mark the bigger ones but there are hundreds of smaller ones in between here and the fence." Rick explained. "We'll keep you posted better or worse."

"Roger that. Be safe out there." Sasha said before the walkie-talkie went completely silent.

"We should be coming up on the first one soon." Rick said as he folded up the map and stood on his guard but looked to everyone around him to let them know they needed to listen up. "The group on the other side of road were instructed to find the traps and disable them as much as they could. We need as many walkers to get through and towards Sanctuary when we start making noise. We can't have traps warding off walkers when we need them heading towards Sanctuary."

"And towards us too." Rosita said with apprehension. "Don't forget that terrifying detail."

"Yeah." Rick said. "That'll be the tricky part."

"The tricky part is you stayin' alive when you ram that truck in tha fence." Daryl muttered. Rick and Daryl still didn't agree on Rick's mission to go into Sanctuary and practically give himself up. It was a fact that everyone knew was going to happen but everyone tried to forget. They knew Rick wouldn't last ten seconds in Sanctuary.

Sherry looked around the forest and then saw something that was out of line. She raised her silencer gun towards a tight wire in the distance and hoped that she would hit her target. She pulled the trigger as everyone watched her knowing that she found the first one. She didn't hit the wire she wanted but instead hit another trap twenty feet behind it as spikes started raining down in the spot that Sherry shot.

Everyone stood quietly and looked to each other with wide eyes. Sherry's eyes were the widest as she turned around and looked at the group behind her. "That wasn't the trap I was aiming for." She confessed.

"Shit." Daryl said.

"That could mean this forest is covered with traps. They have to be close together." Maggie said.

"Shit." Rick echoed Daryl's sentiment and stood still. They had no idea whether they had passed the first one or not. Or where they even were on the map. They assumed it was still ahead of them but they could have easily been wrong.

"We go in two or three straight lines." Paul from Hilltop said. Some people from Hilltop called him Jesus because of his resemblance to many religious statues and pictures of Jesus Christ but with Sherry's strong Catholic faith in her previous life, she couldn't bring herself to do it. So instead she called him Paul. "Each line has a leader who keeps an eye out and disables the traps. Everyone follows behind them without worrying about setting off something they are unaware of."

"But who the fuck is going to volunteer to be leader?" Jason asked in disbelief.

"I can." Michonne said. "I can keep an eye out for those sort of things."

"I'll be a leader." Paul said. "After all, I suggested the idea. It's only fair."

Everyone looked to one more person who would volunteer. Then Eugene walked ahead. "I would like to think that disabling ambuscades is also in my skill set." He announced.

"I would feel comfortable with two more leaders so we cover more ground." Rick said.

Jason rolled his eyes and raised his hand. "I better get a promotion after this." He said.

"I can do the other one." Daryl said.

"Alright. Everyone line up behind someone." Rick said as he got behind Michonne.

Sherry walked up to be behind Paul and looked around to see if she could see Carol. She saw the woman walk behind her as they took the line that was closest to the east so they could eventually make their way to the other side of Sanctuary where the library stood.

Once everyone found a leader they all nodded to each other and started walking into the thick of it. There were at least six people in each group as they merged ahead slowly. Michonne was the first one to find a trap that was not only thirty feet in front of her group. She saw ground that had been tampered with as the ground beneath that opened into a covered ditch. Her group slowly made their way around it as they pressed forward.

"Lot of spears in that thing." Michonne muttered but kept her eyes in front of her to look for more.

"That's why Negan asked Earl to make so many." The man who Sherry knew to be named Eduardo said mentioning the blacksmith that lived in Hilltop.

Paul put his hand up for the people behind him to stop. They did so as he looked at the ground that also looked altered.

"Does anyone have a large branch I can use?" He asked.

A girl named Francine stood in the back of the line as she picked up a branch next to her. She passed it to the person in front of her who passed it to Tobin, who passed it to Carol, who passed it to Sherry as Sherry gave it to Paul. He gave her a thankful nod and quickly pressed the branch on the part of the ground that looked fishy.

Sure enough, a rope closed in on the branch as a counterweight that was a net full of bricks fell to the ground before Paul. The rope went up with the branch as it hung in the air and swung from the motion.

Paul whistled and looked to Sherry behind him. "That was intense." He said with a smile.

"This is going to take a while." Sherry said. She only hoped that they made it to Sanctuary's front gates before nightfall.

"Yes, it is." She heard Tobin say behind her. No matter what happened, they were going to all be in the trivial position together. It was a comforting thought.

…

They went on for another hour setting off wires and snares. The sun was setting quickly as a looming fence started coming into view in the distance. As time went on, walker heads would randomly be on the ground as they tried their best to snack on whatever came their way. The group would randomly bash their heads in if they saw one and would keep going.

Suddenly a large explosion erupted on the other side of the highway. Everyone crouched down low as they looked to see or hear what happened. Sherry could see dirt that got picked up from the blast but didn't hear anything else on the other side that would raise suspicion either for her or the people guarding the gates in Sanctuary. She turned her gaze to the gate and had the feeling of claustrophobia take over. Memories of her time in Sanctuary came flooding back to her as she tried to breathe slowly to calm herself down. As hard as it was, she needed to keep her focus to give one hundred percent to the group.

"Rick. It's Richard. Do you copy?" Sherry heard faintly from Rick's walkie-talkie. He stood fifteen feet away from Paul's group behind Michonne as he raised the walkie-talkie to his mouth to follow up.

"This is Rick. What was that noise? Should it be something we need to worry about on our side?" Rick asked.

"One of the walker heads was connected to a wire that set off a grenade." Richard said urgently. "We took care of anyone who could've yelled in pain…we put them out of their misery." Sherry could hear the anguish in his voice.

Towards the gate of Sanctuary, a spotlight emerged and shined towards the highway. Everyone got down lower so as not to be spotted. In the distance, Sherry could see Eugene look at a wire as he followed it with his eyes. He crawled away from where the walker head was that it was attached to and found a grenade tied to the wire. He carefully disconnected it as Sherry held her breath to see what came first: the explosion of the grenade or the Saviors deciding the previous explosion was caused by more than a meandering walker.

"I need a rubber band or a hair tie." Eugene said trying to hold the grenade as still as possible. "We might need a lot of those. The pin is already out and the lever is already pushed down on these things. We need to hold it in place so it doesn't detonate and give our cover away."

Everyone in their individual groups passed forward hair ties to their leader so they could help keep more explosion at bay. Rick spoke into the walkie-talkie to let the other side know that was the plan. Sherry let her hair down quickly and gave her hair tie to Paul. She had one other hair tie on her wrist which she also gave to the cause.

"We don't have anymore?" Paul asked.

"We don't usually need hair ties." Francine said on behalf of herself and Carol who wore their hair short. The other two in their group were guys who also had short hair.

"You have to have some too, right?" Sherry asked Paul. With his long hair, he had to wear it up in a ponytail every so often. Like she predicted, he started going through his pockets and got out at least one. "Alright. Our group has three. Hopefully we don't find more grenades than that." Paul said.

In the distance, they heard Sanctuary's fence open as a car emerged from inside the walls and heading towards them. Rick nodded to everyone around him as they all broke formation of their lines and hid behind whatever they could use as cover which included trees or bushes and not much else.

Sherry and Francine hid behind a tree just in time as the car stopped in between both groups on each side of the road. She watched carefully as she poked her head slightly away from the tree to see what was happening. The three Saviors who got out of the car were more preoccupied with the other side of the road where the explosion happened.

They all watched and waited as they peered from their hiding places to view what was going on. They could be caught soon. As she thought of the worst case scenario, she watched as Rick tried to wave down Eugene to get his attention. Once he did, he made a signal for Eugene to chuck the grenade that was in his hands.

Eugene made a face of terror as he looked down to the grenade. He took the hair tie off as he pressed down on the lever. He then threw it into the forest on their side of the road as far as he could as it exploded at a safe distance away from them. Sherry still covered her ears at the sound as some slivers from branches and trees rained down around them. She gulped as the realization hit that she was now in a warzone. The thought of going to war was always there but the explosions sealed the deal and made it even more precarious.

Sure enough, the spotlight near the fence changed directions and pointed towards the explosion instead of the road. The men that were going to observe the first grenade switched directions and started walking towards their side of the forest leaving the Kingdom's side behind. Her group watched as one Savior that was behind his other comrades got quickly dragged back with his throat getting cut by Mati.

The other two Saviors that were left didn't even notice it as they kept their gaze towards where the explosion was hit. Rick nodded to Daryl as Sherry knew that they both would take care of the two Saviors. Sherry watched as they waited for the right time while the two men started walking in their area. The sun left fast as they now had the obscurity for lack of light. The men walked slowly as Rick and Daryl waited until the opportune moment to seize the men.

"This is scaring the shit out of me, Ian." One Savior said to the other. "And where did David go?"

"He's probably still checking the other side, ya dumb fuck." Ian answered. "Why don't you go off and do your own thing for once?"

"I'm not searching this place all by myself." The Savior replied. Sherry could hear their footsteps get closer and closer as the men fell into silence no longer enjoying each other's company. She took a deep breath and inhaled deep as she heard a gun cock.

"I think I see something." The Savior said with his voice shaking.

"Dammit, Ryan! Don't scare me like that!" Ian reprimanded.

"No I really think I see something." Ryan wailed.

"Don't be stupid, Ry…" Ian's voice was cut off as she heard the sound of a bolt whiz in the air. The Savior named Ryan started to scream but was cut off by Rick who covered his mouth with his hand. Both Daryl and Rick dragged him down and leaned him against the tree.

"You scream when I take my hand off your mouth and you're dead. You hear me?" Rick said aggressively as everyone got away from their cover and walked towards them. Sherry kept her gaze on the spotlight near the fence and it still hadn't moved from where it last was.

Ryan nodded his compliance as Rick took his hand off of his mouth. He breathed heavily as he looked from each person to another. "Please. Don't kill me. I promise I will do anything you want me to do." He said as his chin started to quiver.

Rick looked from everyone in his group trying to think. Then they all heard static. Rick looked down to his walkie-talkie but the noise wasn't coming from his. The fallen Savior named Ian had his own walkie-talkie. Michonne grabbed it and handed it to Rick.

Rick took it and held it towards Ryan's face. "You are going to tell the rest of your people that whatever provoked those traps headed out east and that you saw animal tracks in multiple spots. It's nothing for them to worry about." He said sternly never wavering eye contact from Ryan.

Ryan nodded eagerly. "Yeah, yeah, I can do that." He said. "Whatever you say."

Rick pressed the button for the walkie-talkie as Ryan cleared his throat.

"This is Ryan, do you copy?" Ryan said with his voice breaking. Rick shook his head and looked angry that Ryan wasn't sounding too convincing. Ryan picked up on the domineering gaze and tried his best to disguise the fear in his voice. "This is Ryan, do you copy?" He repeated with more confidence.

"This is Dwight, I hear ya. What's going on up there?" They all heard Dwight's voice and could breathe a sigh of relief. They didn't need to sound too convincing after all. Sherry's heart skipped a beat upon hearing his voice but she tried to keep her mind where it needed to be and focus on what she had to do once she was inside Sanctuary again.

"I think some animals tripped up the wires. We saw tracks that headed east. Deer most likely." Ryan said. Sherry was impressed that he was able to sound like it was the actual truth.

A long pause followed as they all waited for a response. "Noted." Dwight said through the walkie-talkie. "I want you guys to try and see if that is actually what it is. If you are gone for hours, so be it."

Rick pressed down on the button for Ryan to respond. "Are you sure?" Ryan asked. They knew Dwight was making it look as if their disappearance wasn't out of the ordinary for their sake.

"Don't ask me if I'm sure about something ever again, Ryan." Dwight responded back.

Ryan visibly cringed at being reprimanded but everyone could tell he didn't like the idea of staying outside of the fence longer than he had to. Especially since he was with people that he didn't know could kill him or not. "Sorry, boss." Ryan said.

"Stay safe out there, man. Over and out." Dwight said as the walkie-talkie went silent.

"Did you and the other two bring flashlights with you?" Rick asked Ryan.

Ryan nodded.

Rick got his own walkie-talkie out and pressed the button. "You can have one flashlight shining on your side. Sanctuary will think it's one of their men." He instructed.

"Roger that." Richard said. Sherry saw as a flashlight immediately flickered on and shining. Daryl picked up the flashlight on Ian's person and turned it on. Rick didn't have to say anything before Ryan was already giving his flashlight to him in surrender.

"You are going to sit in that car until we are gone." Rick said as he pointed to the Saviors car that still sat in the middle of the street. "Is that clear?" He asked.

"Let me join you." Ryan said hurriedly. "I don't want to live in Sanctuary anymore."

"Do you have family in Sanctuary?" Rick asked.

Ryan nodded. "I have a wife and two beautiful girls." He said.

"It'll be better for you if you stay out of sight until this whole thing blows over." Rick said. "If Negan sees you fighting with us…" He left the rest of the sentence hanging. They all knew Negan was low enough to kill Ryan's family as a way to vent his frustration.

"Get in that car and stay in there. Stay still and stay low." Rick instructed. "Join up with us when this all blows over or if you have a chance to smuggle your family out before that happens."

"Yes, sir." Ryan said as he got up and started walking towards the road.

"Good idea to let him go like that?" Daryl asked.

Rick picked up the Saviors walkie-talkie and cleared his throat. "Dwight, this is Ian, do you copy?" He asked.

"This is Dwight… Ian..." Dwight said. Sherry smirked as she could tell he already knew what was going on.

"We found the deer that set off the traps. We are coming back inside." Rick announced.

"As long as you did your job." Dwight said. "You guys are free to come to the main entrance. It's Billiard Night and you are all missing out."

"Roger that." Rick said and looked up to Sherry. "Is that supposed to mean anything?"

"That means most all the men are further into town. We can walk out of the road and still have the element of surprise without being blown to pieces from either the traps or the guards." Sherry said.

"Good." Rick said. "I'm done with booby traps for a while. You and Carol start heading towards the back and do what you gotta do." He turned his attention to everyone else. "All of us go on the road now."

They did as they were told and started walking in that direction.

"You ready to go?" Carol asked as she stayed in place. Tobin stood next to her and gave Carol a kiss on the forehead. She smiled up to him as he started walking in the open.

"Yeah." Sherry said but stopped and turned around to see Rick watching his people walk to confront Sanctuary. "Hey, Rick." She said.

Rick turned around and acknowledged her.

"Good luck in there." Sherry said thinking it would probably be the last time that she saw him. She had only known him for a short amount of time but time was almost irrelevant in their new world. He was the one who dragged her out of Sanctuary in the first place. She would forever be in gratitude for the hope he ignited in her. Even though their work wasn't finished, Sherry was finally able to breathe and be free of Sanctuary for at least a small period of time.

"Likewise." He responded. "I'll honk the horn to let you know when to meet back up with Daryl's group."

Sherry nodded as she and Carol looked to each other and headed on their way to the back of the library.

 _Almost there,_ Sherry thought.

…

Dwight kept a watch on the rooftop as he volunteered to be the one of the few to take watch while Billiard Night was happening. Everyone opted to have a day off and drink with what little alcohol they still had.

Dwight knew after the walkie-talkie conversation that Ryan had been compromised. The excuse sounded convincing enough to everyone else but he knew that it was Alexandria making their first push on enemy lines.

It was only confirmed when Rick pretended to be Ian. Soon after, he saw three flashlights shine on the fence which blinded him from anything behind the source. He leaned against the mill where he stood guard but didn't say anything. Everyone else that was keeping an eye out didn't really pay attention. Most of them on their side were ill prepared for what could happen within the next several hours.

The glow of the flashlights switched from different parts of the mill as Dwight loaded his crossbow getting ready for if Alexandria needed backup while he was still able to give it to them.

"That Ian and his men?" Frankie asked who walked up to Dwight.

"Yeah." Dwight said and gave him the walkie-talkie. "My shift is ending. I'm going to call it a night."

"Night, boss." Frankie said.

Just then they both heard a whoosh followed by someone falling from the mill above them.

"What the…?" Frankie whispered looking down to the ground where the fellow Savior dived to his death. However, he was cut off by a bolt that hit him in the skull from the back of his head. Dwight watched him fall as he loaded another bolt into his crossbow. "Three hundred and twenty three. Sorry, Frankie."

…

Dwight didn't even make it to the bar to warn the other Saviors when he heard a loud bang near the front entrance.

"Shit." Dwight muttered to himself as people started pouring out of the building. Negan pushed people out of his way so he could be in the front as they all started seeing the fence was on fire.

"What the fuck is going on?" Negan asked.

"We're being fucking attacked!" Dwight answered.

"Fuck. How many?" Negan asked.

"Looks like all the gang is here." Dwight said.

"Who else was supposed to take watch?" Negan asked starting to look infuriated.

"I'm not sure how many you assigned up there with us. All I know is the other two I know about got themselves shot by bolts." Dwight said but conveniently forgetting to mention that one of the bolts were his.

Four other men that were near the gate walked towards the bar with weapons drawn. Negan stared them down as they started to cower in his presence.

"We were at the gates when everything started." One man piped up.

"Were you fucking supposed to take watch?" Negan yelled towards them.

"Well, yeah but we didn't see or hear anything until the fence caught on fire." Another man complained.

Negan took a gun that was stored in his jacket and started shooting the four men. The men were all hit in the chest as they fell to the ground.

"What the fuck is your excuse, Orlich?" Negan said looking at Dwight.

"I was getting shot at." Dwight said keeping his cool.

"Go to the court house and find Carson. I gave him a job before he left earlier. He'll know what to fuckin' do." Negan said as he started running towards the mill. "Let's go get 'em, men!" Negan addressed his men.

"Yeah!" They all answered in return. The Saviors weren't just hungry for food. They wanted vengeance for everything Alexandria had put them through in the last month and a half which included starvation and an angrier boss to work under.

Dwight scrunched his eyebrows as he was worried for the reason why he wasn't informed about that knowledge earlier that concerned Carson's secret mission for Negan. However, he did as he was told and started jogging towards the court house. Whatever it was, he had a bad feeling about it altogether.

…

Sherry and Carol made their way through the small entrance behind the library of Sanctuary in the darkness. Sherry waited in the quiet of the shrubbery while they could faintly hear all of the conflict that was going on at the front gates. A lump formed in Sherry's throat as she thought of the last time she was in that spot with Rick practically having to drag her out of Sanctuary. She remembered how high the stakes were set and felt exhausted that nothing had changed. In fact, it had become more perilous than it had when she left.

Carol successfully made it through as a walker crawled behind her to try and go in for the kill. Sherry struck her knife into it as the walker's skin caught onto the fence. It kept it at bay as walker blood spilled out from his neck area from the fence and more blood from its skull where Sherry stabbed it. The walker ceased its terrible guttural noise while it slumped its head down and was finally at peace.

Carol looked to Sherry with caution apparent on her face. "We need to act as quickly as possible. Already walkers are swarming from the noise at the gate. You ready?" She asked.

Sherry nodded and started crawling out of the shrubbery. She peeked through to see Sanctuary around her and took a deep breath before exposing her cover to the wide open space that stood in between the library and the building left of it.

Sherry stood up and pressed her back against the library as Carol got up from her knees and did the same. "Let's get them out of here." Sherry said with a final tone as she started walking in the darkness with her shotgun drawn while Carol walked slightly backwards to cover their back if they needed it.

However once they made it in the clear, Sherry watched in the darkness as men rushed to help aide the front entrance. Sherry looked to Carol and just started walking normally. Carol looked at her with mild shock but noticed that people were too busy to pay attention to them so she followed behind her with her gun at the ready just in case.

Sherry saw the wives house and nodded to Carol. "That's the one." She said and pointed.

Carol nodded in return as they walked up to it. Sherry never felt so invisible in Sanctuary before. She liked it when no one noticed her for once. It still didn't take away from the fear she felt being there in the first place.

An explosion was heard by the gate as Carol and Sherry picked up their pace. Sherry made her way up the front porch and opened the door as quickly as she could. Immediately, she heard a scream inside of the house as someone walked up to Sherry ready to smack her in the face.

Sherry noticed it was Christy as she held her hands at bay. "It's me!" Sherry exclaimed before Christy went on full attack mode while Sherry held her arms together. "It's me!" She repeated.

"Sherry?!" Christy said in disbelief.

"Yeah! You guys ready to leave Sanctuary?" Sherry asked and then beamed bright as they stared at her dumb struck with what she just said.

…

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE – I may have had Sherry kill Laura for a reason… That's what you get for breaking Dwight & Sherry up in the comics, Kirkman!**


	5. Chapter 5

**AUTHOR'S NOTE – Sorry this took a long time to post. Wanted it to be worthy enough for my readers ;)**

Chapter 5

"Carson, what the fuck is going on?" Dwight demanded as he walked into the court house and was approached by Carson. Carson met him the rest of the way with a worried look on his face as they ambled up the grand staircase to the second floor.

"You told me to warn everyone while I was out for a supply run? Yeah, well, Negan had other plans." Carson explained.

"Shit." Dwight spat out as Carson led the way towards the rooms that the Saviors used specifically for torturing or holding someone hostage. He wanted Rick to have some kind of warning with whatever greeted them inside the gates of Sanctuary.

"Dwight, I'm sorry. I wish that you had the higher say in what things we do. You don't." Carson pointed out and stopped in the hallway while Dwight faced him.

"Alexandria is at our doorstep and ready to fight. So is Hilltop and the Kingdom. Best way for us to help them out? We have to be as convincing on our side as we possibly can." Dwight said as his way of telling Carson that despite it feeling like a tough decision, it was the right one. He looked around wondering what surprise Negan had for the communities. "What did he ask you to pick up?"

"He's in there." Carson said pointing to the door at the end of the hallway.

"He?" Dwight repeated.

Carson nodded as he looked physically hurt knowing whoever it was could be a possible game changer. Dwight knew that once the war started, the line would start blurring on what was right and wrong and that he would have to cross to each side numerous times. Knowing that he had been on the wrong side of the fence almost since the beginning, he started making his way to the door no matter what the consequences held.

…

"Everyone hurry up as soon as you can!" Sherry instructed to the girls as they all started making their personal preparations to leave Sanctuary once and for all. "Get whatever you need and we are gone!" She looked around to see some of the girls missing. "Where are Jada and Brittany?"

"They are at Negan's house." Christy explained sadly.

Negan's house was fairly close to the mill. Sherry knew that the possibility of getting them was slim and took a deep breath trying to decide what to do to help them.

"We saved most of them, Sherry." Carol whispered to her as the girls got their things together and also retrieved proper clothes and gear for being outside of the gates.

As much as Sherry didn't want to admit it, the risk of getting the other girls was far too high. She should have known that some of the girls would have been at Negan's house instead. Sherry could have cried knowing that they were going to leave some behind.

"Sherry, come here!" Christy whispered in the darkness from the upstairs. Sherry did as she was told and walked up the stairs to see what she needed help with.

When Sherry walked inside of her old room, an instant panic took over the second before an explosion came from the outside. She heard the girls scream from around the house as Sherry and Christy leaned down to take cover. Sherry had to close her eyes as flashbacks appeared in her head from her time in Sanctuary. All of the memories that were brought up would flood back to the same day that she wanted to forget. She closed her eyes as she mentally tried to think of something else to ease the pain that overcame. _Your name is Sherilyn Anne Ciccone. You are twenty-four years old and have survived an apocalypse filled with bad people. Panic attacks are normal. Kevin told you they are. They won't kill you. Negan won't kill you. Breathe through it. Now is not the time to think about him. He's busy. He won't find you._

A sob almost bubbled to the surface but she opened her eyes to see Christy watching her with no ounce of judgment. She knew exactly what was happening. Christy helped Sherry stand up straight with one hand and held out letters with the other. Sherry looked to the letters with immediate affection as she recognized Dwight's handwriting on the top as it read, _For Sherry._

"Probably didn't want to leave those behind." Christy guessed as Sherry quickly put them in her small backpack.

"Thanks." Sherry said half-heartedly. "Christy, I wanted to come sooner to get you guys. I wish I did."

"The only thing that matters is that you came." Christy reasoned and gave Sherry a hug. "Thanks for remembering us."

"I couldn't forget." Sherry said in her ear as they continued their embrace. "We have been through too much together."

Christy nodded as tears fell down her face. It was evident that she was anxious to finally leave Sanctuary. They walked downstairs as they waited for everyone else to make their way to the front so they could leave together. As everyone gathered around, Carol would give each girl a gun. Megan looked at her gun as if it was a foreign object.

"You know how to use one of those, right?" Carol asked.

Megan looked to her and nodded. "It's been a very long time since I have been able to touch one of these." Her voice came out confident as if she had finally been reunited with her old protector.

Amber and Ashlyn were the last to walk up to them from the upstairs with their new clothes on. Carol handed Amber a gun but she looked at it as Sherry recognized the face she wore. It was hesitation.

"I don't know if I can do this." Amber stated and started backing away.

"Amber, you have to leave." Sherry said walking up to her.

Amber's chin started quivering as she shook her head. "What will happen to Mark if I leave?" She asked fearfully.

"At this point, Negan needs all the men he has." Sherry stressed as she grabbed for her arm. "Do you think Mark wants you to stay?"

Amber looked to Sherry but then closed her eyes trying to think. Sherry's other sisters started making their way towards them ready to go. Then Sherry noticed the look of apprehension in Ashlyn's face as well.

"I'm sorry to be honest with you, Amber. Negan will be upset knowing that half of his wives are gone. I put you in a position that if you are the only one that is left here, he will kill you." Sherry said. "He won't kill Mark because he needs him. He doesn't need you."

Amber knew Sherry was right as she thought about the bigger picture. With a deep breath she nodded as Sherry still saw the fear behind her eyes. Sherry knew the fear would be there for a long time even after they left.

"I'm staying." Sherry heard Ashlyn say as she sat on the stairs.

Sherry knew that quick thinking had to be done as she had to convince Ashlyn that she had to go. She wondered why Ashlyn chose to stay even after Sherry laid the facts before her.

"Carol, take everyone else with you." Sherry pleaded.

"What about you?" Carol asked as she opened the front door.

"We'll be there." Sherry said simply as she looked to Christy and Megan. She quickly pulled Christy aside and looked to Amber. "Amber could change her mind. Please stay with her."

As Christy nodded a promise, Carol walked up to her as she carried a grenade with a hair tie wrapped around it. Sherry looked to it with shock as Carol tried to hand it to her.

"I don't want to hold that thing!" Sherry exclaimed but Carol put it in her backpack without her consent. "Holy shit." Sherry didn't know how reliable the grenades were and knew they had already been tampered with and set to explode with booby traps.

"Carol!" Sherry said unsteadily as she tried to get over the fear she felt with an explosive in her backpack.

"You might need it." Carol suggested. "Then you'll thank me."

And just like that, Carol led Amber, Christy & Lauren out the front door in the middle of the chaos. Megan didn't budge and watched Sherry's reaction. "I'm not leaving without you two."

…

Dwight walked towards the mill with Gregory in front of him at gun point. Gregory had his hands up as he walked with a limp and in sheer terror.

"Dwight, I have always known that you were a reasonable person." Gregory started. "Please just let me go. I can make it worth your while."

"Nope. Keep walking forward." Dwight ordered as he followed behind him. Dwight knew he couldn't hold Gregory responsible for a lot of things. But from the first time Dwight met him, he knew Gregory was nothing but slime. He wasn't the one who brought Dwight's first kill before him but he also did nothing to stop it. It was difficult to stop Negan but when Dwight saw someone who blatantly refused to go against him at any point to save his own skin, Dwight had a problem with them. However, that was also where Dwight saw a lot of things shaded in gray as he followed Negan for a very long time.

"Come on, Hilltop will give you whatever you want! Want more than fifty percent? We can do that!" Gregory said as they made it to the mill.

Dwight stopped Gregory and turned him around. On behalf of everyone in Hilltop he punched Gregory in the face not holding anything back. "Want to know a good rule of thumb? Never offer what you can't give." Dwight scolded as Gregory leaned over holding his face.

"Don't mess with him too much, Dwight." Carson reminded. "Negan wants him up at that mill now."

Dwight glared at the sight of Gregory but helped him stand up straight. "Why does Negan want you here?" He asked.

"The hell I know!" Gregory spat back offended at the punch. Dwight wondered why he still looked like he had the upper hand in his predicament when he was only at the mercy of Negan.

Dwight huffed and got his knife out as he indicated that he was going to place it on Gregory's throat.

"Dwight!' Carson cautioned behind him. "Those are not Negan's orders! What the hell are you doing?"

When the knife touched the side of Gregory's neck, he cowered by its presence and started to stammer. "Okay… fine… Negan knows I still have a lot of influence over Hilltop! He knew all the communities were going to attack soon! He just wanted some leverage! Any leverage!" Gregory shook as he relayed the information.

Dwight didn't take the knife away from Gregory's throat as he was reminded again of the first kill Negan ever made him do. The switch was already on in his mind as he fought to turn it off to help the Alexandrian's do the right thing. Unfortunately for Dwight, the right thing for Alexandria felt like the wrong thing for him. He was exhausted by pretending to be on the enemy's side.

"Dwight! I told you everything I know!" Gregory pleaded as the knife pressed further into his neck.

"Orlich!" They heard Negan's voice ring in the darkness from several stories above them as a light shone on them. "I know Gregory is one dumb fucker in the heat of the moment but don't spoil him off just yet. We fucking need him upstairs!"

Dwight let go of Gregory quickly under Negan's influence and walked away as Carson guided Gregory up the stairs.

Dwight stared at the ground trying to keep his temper in control as he could feel someone watching him. He looked up to see Negan and several men looking at him with contempt.

"Dwight, you know what is going to happen to you for being on guard while the enemy waltzed up to the gates." Negan stated knowing Dwight would understand the gravity of the situation.

With a sigh of defeat, Dwight nodded to Negan solemnly trying to play it off as if that was the price he needed to pay for being a Savior. "Yeah." He said in response.

"Once this mess is taken care of, we'll see that it gets done." Negan said as Carson and Gregory made his way to him. Negan grabbed Gregory by the back of his neck as they walked the rest of the way up the mill to show the communities what they messed with. Dwight held the stair rail and took another breath as he tried to focus on making the right moves from that moment on. The line was always moving and he wasn't sure which place he stood to make a difference. With the conflict in mind, he took his steps up the stairs to stand alongside Negan against Rick for what he hoped to be the last time.

…

"Ashlyn, we can't stay here." Sherry said urgently. "Why do you even want to stay? There is absolutely nothing for you here!"

"There is nothing for me out there either." Ashlyn choked as tears fell down. "If Negan kills me, then so be it."

Sherry's nose flared up as she looked to Ashlyn. "What are you doing? You want to take the easy way out? Like Amanda?" She asked.

"Sherry!" Megan rebuked but was just as desperate for Ashlyn to move from her spot as Sherry was. If Sherry had to bring up bad memories to make her move, then that was what she was going to do without even worrying about hurt feelings.

"No. Amanda left because she couldn't be guaranteed a good life. Ashlyn, all you have to do is walk out the door." Sherry reasoned as she knelt in front of her while Ashlyn still sat on the stairs.

"I can't have a good life! Not anymore!" Ashlyn nearly yelled in her face.

"Tell me why!" Sherry exclaimed.

"I can't!" Ashlyn shouted with more tears falling.

"Ashlyn, you will at least give me a reason why you would rather die!" Sherry demanded.

"I'm pregnant!" Ashlyn screamed and then put her face to the palms of her hands as she cried openly.

Sherry stood up straight but had to lean on the wall to control the grief that struck her like a lightning bolt. She didn't have to ask who the father was. It had to have been Negan's baby. That was the reason why Ashlyn didn't care to live or die.

That was the reason Sherry didn't want to leave Sanctuary to begin with. She protected her friends from that predicament for so long. But because she had been gone for longer than a month and also told Negan that she was unable to bare children of her own, he moved on. She wished that she wasn't that blind to foresee it.

"When did you find out?" Megan asked quietly with as much anguish that Sherry felt.

"I found out this morning." Ashlyn said.

Sherry put a hand to her head and tried to think in the present instead of her past offenses. "Ashlyn, Negan doesn't know, does he?" She asked.

Ashlyn shook her head. "I haven't told him yet." She confessed.

"Then he doesn't have to ever find out." Sherry said and knelt in front of her again and placed her backpack against the threshold to the kitchen. "I'm sorry that this had to happen to you. This is every bit my responsibility and my fault. Whatever you decide to do, I will have your back. I will do whatever you ask me to do. Abortion pills or if you need help raising the baby, I will do it! But please, Ashlyn. Let's try and make this decision together with you alive. Don't let this take you away from us." Sherry pleaded. "We can help you."

"Sher's right." Megan said while also kneeling in front of Ashlyn in silent plea. "We are the only ones that have a clue what you are going through. We have always helped each other. That's never changed."

"Ashlyn, if you stay here, I'm staying." Sherry said.

Ashlyn sniffled and shook her head. "Sherry, you can't. God knows what he'll do to you." She wept.

Sherry's face scrunched in sudden agony as she looked to Ashlyn. "Stop worrying about me." She cried. "Ashlyn, I didn't want this for any of you. That's on me! I failed you. But if you come with us, I am going to try and make up for everything I put you through. Please, just let me save you!" Sherry grabbed Ashlyn's check in comfort. "I have always blamed myself for Amanda's death. If you stay here, I will do the same for you."

Ashlyn held Sherry's arm and cried some more as Megan joined in. They heard explosions galore outside of the house as something inside Sherry's gut told her that they had to leave soon if they were going to make it out alive at all.

"Are we going to do this?" Megan asked looking to Ashlyn hopefully.

Ashlyn looked from Sherry to Megan and finally nodded her approval. When she looked beyond them, her face froze with a look of slight terror.

"If you girls are scared, I can help ease your nerves." A leering voice said at the doorway behind Sherry and Megan as they both turned to see not one but four men crowded around the porch with their guns already raised.

With the extra noise in Sanctuary, Sherry looked to Megan with an alarmed face. Megan looked back to her unsure of what to do as the men crept closer to them.

"All of you! On your knees with your hands behind your head!" Someone said as they got closer. Ashlyn slowly got down on her knees while Sherry and Megan put their hands behind their head. Meanwhile, Sherry was brainstorming on how they could get out with the men there.

"You two! Turn around and face us." The same man instructed.

They did as they were told as a flashlight turned on and shined down on each of them individually. Sherry knew they were not under orders to be at the house. Otherwise, they would have flipped on a switch instead of acting covert-like.

"Holy shit, men! Look who came back to get some more of Negan! Wife number one, in the flesh!" The man chuckled as the men joined in eyeing Sherry with uncomfortable pleasure. "We're sorry to inform you that your husband is busy at the moment."

"Not unfortunate at all." Sherry chided back looking at the man with the flashlight straight in the eye.

The man huffed as he looked to the men with him. "Negan always said you had a lip on you. You good with your mouth, Sherry?" The man taunted as he stepped closer with his gun pointed directly at her. Sherry didn't look away but kept her mouth closed as if provoking the man to try and do his worst.

He looked at each of the men with him and nodded. "Frisk 'em. Don't worry about being too fast about it." The man said as the other three walked towards them. Sherry heard Megan's exhale of dismay upon getting her gun taken away right off the bat. The man in front of Sherry knelt down to be at eye line with her as he also took her gun away.

Once the gun was placed to the side, he started with inside Sherry's jacket as he produced another gun that was stashed in a pocket. He placed it next to her other handgun and started putting his hands on her body as Sherry held her breath trying to keep a panic attack at bay for the sake of the two people sitting next to her. She needed to stay focused so she could keep thinking of a new plan.

That was until the man tried to reach under Sherry's belt as she took her hand behind her head and backhanded him with all of her might as a knee jerk response. He took his hands off of her and put them to his face. The man with the flashlight cocked his gun as he pushed the other man who tried to molest Sherry away and placed the steel of the weapon right on Sherry's forehead.

…

Explosion after explosion kept on hitting various parts of the mill as Dwight cautiously made his way to where Negan stood for the communities to see. He looked towards the other side of the gate to see everyone accounted for as they looked back up to Negan ready to avenge any wrong doing that he had done in the past. Dwight kept his eye open for Sherry but didn't see her. He was glad and hoped that she decided to stay behind in Alexandria for this fight. When he couldn't find her in the crowd at all, he wanted to think she stayed behind but instead felt that wasn't the case.

"I see you've found a couple of my booby traps in the woods." Negan commented on the explosions. He had to practically shout to be heard over the fire on the gates that most of the Saviors were trying desperately to put out. "You want to talk? Let's fucking dance instead. What's on your mind, Rick?"

"It's been quiet for the last month. We wanted to bring the fight to you." Rick shouted back in the front line while everyone quieted down so he could be heard by all of them and Saviors alike. "I'm speaking for all communities. We don't want you in the picture anymore."

"Are you sure you speak for everyone?" Negan countered back. "Ya know, a tyrant just goes and does whatever shit he wants. I didn't think you as the type, Rick."

Negan turned around and nodded to Carson who held their captive. Gregory started to shake his head in protest as Carson pushed him forwards to stand next to Negan.

"Does this piece of shit belong to you?" Negan asked.

Dwight looked at Rick's face as it read partial shock but he didn't seem too surprised. A stir came over the communities as some people shrieked at the sight of Gregory being on the other side of the fence. Dwight watched as the fire was successfully taken out at the fence while everyone tried to collect themselves and where they stood.

From Dwight's knowledge, he knew Gregory wasn't the leader of Hilltop any longer and that Maggie took over. However, it wasn't a unanimous decision among the people who would have rather not fought the Saviors.

Rick eyed Dwight for a quick second as Dwight looked down to his feet but shook his head slightly to try and indicate that the hold with Gregory shouldn't be a bigger threat than presumed.

"I'll fucking tell you what. Those who are loyal to this dumb fuck," Negan said as he slapped the side of Gregory's face who shook uncontrollably while Negan continued, "and also don't want to see themselves or him die tonight, they can step forward on our side with our full protection." Negan offered loudly. "They have my word."

Dwight watched as some people conversed amongst each other whether they took their fight too far and if they should surrender while they still had the chance. In that moment, some people stepped forward to the dismay of Rick and his group while they looked up to Negan as if he had just ripped their hearts out. Negan started to smile but it quickly faded when the total number of people that had surrendered were only under a dozen.

Negan pushed Gregory backwards against the mill with all of his might. "What the fuck is going on?" Negan asked as no one made a move to stop the abuse. They all knew better. He held Gregory by the throat and closed his fingers to choke him out.

Gregory tried to breath but it came out stifled. "I can't… I thought I had more… Please!" Those were the only words that Dwight could understand from the other gurgling in between.

Negan loosened his grip but didn't let go of Gregory. As Gregory coughed back more air, Negan thought about the next step. "They want a fight? We'll sure as hell give them what they fucking want. They are our guests so we accommodate to their fucking needs." Negan looked to his men including Dwight. "Open fire." With that, Negan grabbed Gregory's collar and started dragging him towards the stair rail. As if Gregory knew his lies got him into trouble this time, he tried to pull away from Negan but his grip was too strong. Negan practically picked him up and tossed him over the ledge to fall to his death.

In that instant, gunfire broke from both sides as Negan stepped away from the ledge towards the mill and grabbed Dwight's arm to pull him back as well.

"Get all the men that we have and bring them to the gates!" Negan barked as one Savior held Lucille out for him to take. Negan took it and held it tightly as if it gave him all the comfort he needed. "Get the men, Orlich! Do it now!"

Dwight watched as Negan walked down the stairs and inside the mill to get a better vantage point to shoot and hide from the communities as Dwight took his sweet time getting any more men for the fight. "Right on it, boss." Dwight muttered sardonically as he reached into his pocket to get a cigarette out and strolled down the stairs with zero destination in mind.

…

With a cop for a father, Sherry was always told that the biggest mistake that someone could ever do was point a gun at someone if they were in arm's reach. More often than not, the person at the wrong end of the gun would be able to fight in a do-or-die situation.

For good measure, she acted as if she was terrified of the new threat and looked up to the man pleadingly. "Please don't." She begged.

"Or what?" The man asked.

Sherry didn't even answer as the other men raised their guns towards her. She hoped that these Saviors would be slow. If the last moments were any indication, she knew they wanted to fool around and not kill them. If Negan saw they were murdered, he would make them all pay and they knew it.

Sherry tried to keep that on the forefront of her mind as she told herself that she in fact had the upper hand the whole time. She wasn't supposed to be in Sanctuary but the men in front of her weren't even supposed to be inside the house.

With one final breath of courage, Sherry quickly shoved the gun away from her face as the man fired into the kitchen instead with shock. Sherry continued to hold and fight for the gun while the other men stood perplexed as to what they needed to do. When one man decided to use Sherry's emotions to his advantage by grabbing for Ashlyn, Ashlyn reached for one of Sherry's handguns that laid on the ground as she cocked it and fired it towards the man.

Everyone stood frozen as one man fell to the ground and was shot in between the eyes. Ashlyn kept the gun raised but her jaw stood agape from shooting down a person. In the midst of confusion, Megan reached for the other gun and pointed it at the other two men.

The man who fought Sherry started backing away as he let Sherry take the gun. In that moment they knew who really had the power in their predicament but also knew the atmosphere changed from trying to fool around and went to living or dying. Sherry wasn't going to let the men get out of the house. Neither would the men let the girls escape if they wanted to stay on Negan's good side.

"Ladies… I think this situation was taken a little too far." The man said with his hands in the air with a smile as he tried to lighten the mood. "Say what you want us to do. Anything."

"We're getting out of Sanctuary tonight." Sherry said. "We want you to leave."

The man started to chuckle. "We can't let you do that." He walked to the man that was dead and retrieved his gun and pointed it to Sherry as the girls slowly got from their knees to stand up straight. "You see, if anyone has seen us walk into the house, we need an alibi. If you leave, we are accomplices and we are as good as dead. But if we tell Negan that you came all the way from Alexandria to snatch up the rest of his women…" The man whistled with a smile. "Can you imagine that gratitude we would get if we stopped you?"

"We won't _let_ you stop us." Sherry proclaimed. "You're forgetting that you can't shoot us but we most certainly can shoot you."

One of the men scoffed at being put in his place but cocked his gun and aimed at Megan's outer thigh. The gun blasted loudly in the room as Megan screamed with pain. "What the hell, Connor?" The man with the flashlight asked towards the man that shot Megan. Megan was on the floor in obvious pain as Sherry and Ashlyn put their guns down in shock as Sherry instead applied pressure to the wound with her hands. In between her fingertips, blood started to seep and flow as it dripped effortlessly to the floor. Their night seemed a little more dismal. With one more explosion, the man motioned with his hand towards the girls as they continued to kneel protectively over Megan.

"Get them in the kitchen for extra cover." The man ordered. "I predict we'll have our rations doubled for this good deed."

Connor, who shot Megan, reached to help her up. Sherry put her hand up against him and shook her head. "Don't touch her!" She barked. "We'll go to the kitchen ourselves. We don't need your help."

"I can touch her if I want to." Connor muttered threateningly.

Sherry looked to the man who was calling the orders. "We'll do whatever you want as long as we have your word that you and your guys won't touch us. I may have shot at Negan before but he still likes me a lot more than he likes you. You don't touch us and I won't tell him that you…searched us thoroughly?"

The man looked to have his fun snuffed out as he grinded his teeth. "You sure know how to get yourself out of a tricky situation, don't you? It's a shame. It would have been something to make you scream." The man commented.

"Sorry to disappoint." Sherry said sarcastically as she put Megan's arm over her shoulder with Ashlyn doing the same on the other side as they helped her into the kitchen.

When Sherry reached for her backpack on the floor, the Savior with the flashlight quickly grabbed one of the straps which stopped all of the girls from moving further away from them.

"There are only medical supplies in here." Sherry explained. "We wouldn't have needed them if you didn't shoot Megan in the leg."

"Yeah? Anything else you can think of that will convince us?" The man asked testing her way of talking herself out of the situation.

"Megan bleeds out and I doubt your rations will be doubled in the slightest." Sherry persuaded. "And I will let you check my bag for good measure." Sherry all but threw the backpack in his direction to appear that she had nothing to hide. "But sure, if you want her to get an infection and die, keep the damn backpack."

The man rolled his eyes as he relented and gave her the backpack back. "If you try anything…" He started.

"You'll do nothing; we got it." Sherry replied back as they continued to walk to the kitchen relieved that he didn't bother to check.

"Bitch." The man retaliated behind Sherry's back.

Once they made it there, Sherry and Ashlyn put Megan next to the far corner as Sherry motioned for Ashlyn to help her put the table on its side in front of them for added protection. Ashlyn helped but looked perplexed as to why they needed it but did as requested anyways. The men looked at them quizzically but didn't say a word as they didn't have any guns.

When the girls all sat behind the table tipped on its side, Ashlyn looked at Sherry with curiosity. "How do you plan on getting out of this one?" She asked.

"Remember that grenade Carol gave me?" Sherry whispered back to her. Ashlyn and Megan's eyes both widened as they looked to Sherry as if she went crazy. "I guess I _will_ have to thank her for that one."

…

"Dwight!" Takuya yelled as Dwight reached the bottom of the mill. At that point, explosions and gunfire could be heard everywhere. Once Dwight got to the bottom, he sat down low and got his gun out and looked to everyone that was close to the front gates. He could feel Takuya take cover next to him as they leaned against the mill and looked around.

"What do we do at this point?" Takuya asked. "We can't shoot at anyone."

Dwight looked at him and smirked slightly. "Well, we can't shoot at our friends…" He took his gun and aimed it at a Savior who was running towards the gates to help aide Sanctuary. He fired the weapon as the man fell to the ground. "In all of this chaos, do you really think anyone is going to know who killed who?" Dwight asked.

Takuya nodded with a smile as he caught his drift and started aiming for anyone who was alone and vulnerable.

Each of them kept on taking more and more Saviors out as they continued to switch different cover spots around the gates so no one could suspect that they were taking out their own people. After several minutes, Dwight kept on shooting at Saviors with a smile on his face until Takuya nudged him.

Dwight looked to him in question and almost in annoyance from his fun being interrupted.

"What?" Dwight asked.

"Do you hear that?" Takuya questioned.

Dwight knew Takuya wasn't talking about the repeated bullets flying through the air or the random grenades detonating. There was another noise that was deafening. It was a noise that Dwight had gotten used to with time but as he was more aware of it now, he started to feel claustrophobic.

It was the fence. The countless walkers that encircled Sanctuary were hungry and wanted to let everyone and everything know that their appetite hadn't been satiated.

Dwight could only imagine that it was just a matter of time that would bring even more walkers at the fence and tear it down. The walkers wouldn't leave if they came their way. If their fence kept on moaning, they would beckon to their call. It was an uphill battle that Negan didn't foresee.

"I need to see if Megan is okay." Takuya stressed to Dwight.

With the majority of the Saviors being distracted by what was going on at the front of the gates, Dwight assumed that going to the wives house wasn't as precarious as it usually would have and he nodded his approval.

Just as Takuya and Dwight walked out of their covering spot, the front gate made way with the sound of metal bending and breaking as a truck drove through it. Dwight and Takuya took cover yet again as the truck continued to barrel through to the very center of Sanctuary. Once it drove past them, Dwight turned around to see the front gate practically obliterated as the army of the communities was completely gone. They fell back and made way for their bigger plan as a walker herd made its way towards the noise and inside Sanctuary's gates.

"Holy shit!" Dwight exclaimed and looked to Takuya. With that sight in mind, they ran as fast as they could towards the wives house to help protect them as much as they could.

…

Megan groaned in agony as Sherry pressed down on her leg. Ashlyn made a face as she pointed to the back of Megan's leg. "She's bleeding here too." She stated as she grabbed for more towels to help with the bleeding.

Sherry gently turned Megan around as Sherry saw an exit wound for a bullet. She grimaced at the sight but kept her wits about her so she could quickly focus on helping Megan and they could leave soon after that. "Through and through." She said and looked to Megan apologetically. "I'm sorry for being cocky back there. I didn't think they were going to shoot you. If we're still here by morning, Negan won't be happy to see you like this."

Megan looked to her with a weak smile. "I don't blame you, Sherry." She said as Sherry immediately felt uncomfortable. She always felt more blame could have been put on her shoulders in regards to her friends.

The men kept an eye outside and stood guard as if that was their original plan to protect Negan's wives. While Sherry did her best to wrap Megan's leg, she gazed at her backpack that sat close to Ashlyn.

Wrapping Megan's leg with gauze as tight as she could without cutting off the circulation, she nodded thinking it would hold at least until they met up with their group where she could receive better medical care.

With all the seriousness that Sherry could express she looked to Ashlyn. "Reach into my backpack. Carefully." Sherry warned just above a whisper.

Ashlyn's eyes widened but did as she was told. She opened the zipper and felt around for the grenade that Carol gave them only moments before. Ashlyn quickly handed it to Sherry like it was a hot potato as Sherry tried to feel brave by holding an active grenade in her hands. She put her thumb over the handle and held down tightly as she took the hair tie off. Once it was off, Sherry took her finger to unlatch the safety pin and pulled. Once it was pulled away from the grenade Sherry drew a deep breath of intensity but quickly threw the grenade towards the entrance of their house and ducked for cover as Megan and Ashlyn did the same as they all covered their heads and ears.

"Holy fuck!" A man exclaimed only seconds before a loud explosion erupted as pieces of wood and carnage flew into the air. Sherry could feel shards of what was left of the entrance fall on top and around her as the dust subsided. Her ears rang as the noises from outside the house could only be heard in an echo.

Once it was quiet and Sherry got back some hearing, she peaked up from beyond the table to see the wreckage. She saw a small fire and could smell gas. She looked around what was left of the kitchen and saw a fire close to the stove. Sherry could only assume that there was a gas leak.

"Shit!" Sherry said as she grabbed for Megan to stand her up. Ashlyn picked up on her urgency as she also grabbed Megan's other side as they all scrambled to the back entryway. She took Ashlyn's hand and started to stand up as they slowly walked out and towards the back entryway.

Once they made it out, Sherry guided them to the left of the house and towards the backyards of other houses. They made it to Dwight's backyard when their house erupted behind them. They all shrieked at the loud noise but were thankful that they were some distance away as their old house quickly went up in flames and a small mushroom cloud erupted in the sky. Sherry could feel the heat of the fire behind her as they continued to walk.

"Good thing we all weren't really attached to that place." Megan said cynically as they all stumbled along.

…

When Dwight and Takuya made it to the house, they saw it go up in flames quickly. "What the hell?" Dwight muttered to himself. He saw one man limp out of the house holding his arm tightly with a flashlight in hand.

"Johnson, what are you doing in that house?" Dwight yelled towards him out of curiosity with what happened and that he was in there at all. "Is anyone else in there?"

"I was trying to protect the women! They are all dead!" Johnson yelled and started stalking away with a purpose. Dwight wanted to ask him more questions but just watched as Takuya appeared to be having a moment of panic.

"We don't know if he is telling the truth." Dwight declared and walked closer to the house when he saw some movement. Takuya saw it as well and ran towards the house thinking it could have been one of the wives.

Unfortunately for them, it wasn't a wife but another man as he tried to crawl away with his legs missing altogether. The man who Dwight recognized as Connor looked to be fighting for his dear life as he was burnt to a near crisp and wailing in pain.

When Dwight and Takuya reached him, they pulled him away to a safe distance from the house as Connor yelled and went into shock. His body shook slightly as Dwight knew he was having his final moments.

"Was there anyone else in the house?" Dwight thought to ask.

"Just kill me, man." Connor begged while his voice shook from his body tremors.

"You tell me everything that happened and then I'll help you out." Dwight replied gently.

"When everything happened at the front… Johnson said he wanted to take a load off… Ya, know while everyone was too busy to notice… But… but…" Connor started fading as Dwight did his best not to end his life for the sake of Connor and Johnson's attempted rape.

"What, Connor? What?" Dwight questioned while he leaned over him.

"Sherry… She fucking blew us up!" Connor sputtered as blood rose from his mouth.

With the knowledge given, Dwight no longer hesitated in slitting Connor's throat slowly and dramatically. Takuya looked away from the scene as Connor choked out. Dwight looked to the direction that Johnson walked away and shook his head with fear crawling up and down his spine. Sherry was in Sanctuary. And Johnson wanted retribution.

…

They ran as fast as they could while practically dragging Megan to the library. Sherry could faintly hear both Ashlyn and Megan crying. She knew they weren't tears of despair but tears of finally being liberated. With both of them arriving in Sanctuary just a month after Sherry, they had spent just as much time with Negan as she did. She wouldn't wish it on her worst enemy let alone her close friends.

They had one more backyard to cross before the building next to the library as Sherry heard a noise in the house. They ducked down low as Sherry tried to see if anything looked suspicious. It was something that didn't feel right as she looked to Megan and Ashlyn in worry.

"Can you take Megan the rest of the way?" Sherry asked Ashlyn.

"No, Sherry just come with us!" Ashlyn protested. "Please!"

Sherry couldn't shake the feeling that they were purposefully being followed and shook her head. "If anyone knows what direction we left Sanctuary, than they will know that we are far away from the other communities. They would snatch us back up in no time." Sherry said as she unslung Megan's arm from her shoulder and helped them stand up. "Not taking any chances. Carol and the rest of the girls should be waiting for you on the other side."

Ashlyn looked to Sherry desperately but started making her way to the library once more as Sherry kept a cautious look around her. As Ashlyn and Megan made it out of the backyard and behind the downtown building next to the library, Sherry looked towards a shed that sat next to the house. She walked towards it slowly while looking in all directions for any clue of someone else being nearby. When she opened the shed door, she saw that it had already been raided of anything that could be used as a decent weapon. However, she did see a shovel. Knowing it wouldn't do much in regards to someone that had a gun, she picked it up anyways.

In a flash, the shed door shut behind her as a wave of gunfire shot through the door. Sherry quickly ducked for cover as she felt over her body to see if she had been hit. Luckily, she was unscathed. The gunfire ended as she could hear the weapon click but her attacker was fresh out of bullets.

Sherry quietly stood up with the shovel in both hands as she raised it up behind her ready to take a swing. The door opened fast as Sherry quickly slammed the man's face with the shovel. He reeled back from the force and held onto his face but he quickly gained composure and came at her again.

She swung once more as he dodged it with a duck and tried to grab it from her. Upon seeing his face in the moonlight, she recognized him as the man with the flashlight that tried to keep her and her friends hostage inside the house.

"I stepped outside to get a better look at what was going on at the front gates." The man said as he wrapped one leg around Sherry's knees to trip her. Sure enough, she fell down but still held a death grip on the shovel. He fell on top of her and pushed all of his weight on the shovel against her. "Luckily my curiosity saved my life." Sherry tried to lock her arms to keep the shovel's metal shaft from falling any closer to her. However the man was aiming to have the shaft strangle her as he positioned himself to straddle her so she couldn't move. Slowly, her arms started to give way as he pushed down.

"Negan will kill you if you kill me." She threatened. She didn't like Negan's attachment to her but would use it to at least threaten others who feared him.

"He won't even know I was here." The man said as he pressed even more on the shaft. Sherry's arms practically gave way as the shaft fell onto her throat. She tried to hold a lot of the pressure away with one hand scooting in between her neck and the shaft as she tried to reach for anything around her with her other hand that she could use as a weapon. There had to be something. Anything!

Just then Sherry felt something rough. The man reached for something in his pocket with one hand as she knew it was probably the only opportunity that she had left while he was distracted.

In the same second that he reached for a pocket knife, she reached for the thing she felt before as she realized it was a brick. Sherry quickly grabbed it and hit the man's forehead with it as hard as she could. He fell back disoriented as he yelled with anguish and anger. While he got off of her, she scurried to hit him again as the brick crashed down on the bridge of his nose. Even more discombobulated than before, she hit him again across the jaw as she heard a crunch. He tried to fight back but was slowly losing consciousness.

Sherry wasn't sure if he was feigning passing out or not so she hit him over and over again. When he completely let go of her and didn't fight back, she still couldn't stop hitting him with the brick. She continued as she cried. With all the emotions of the day, she released her fury on the man. She thought of Ashlyn's terrible news. She thought of Rick's plan to drive a truck inside Sanctuary to try and end the fight with him as a hostage. Meanwhile, being in Sanctuary itself made Sherry's memories come alive with a vengeance. With every hit, she would cry even more as she refused to stop. As if he embodied all the evil that Sanctuary and Negan possessed, she took out all of her anger on the man who was undoubtedly dead.

With her hand held high about to make another hit, she was stopped by a force from behind her. Alarmed that it was Negan himself, she fought the person in the darkness but he held her hand at bay as he tried to get her to let go of the bloodied and stained brick.

"Sherry, it's done! He's dead!" She heard Dwight whisper. Upon realizing it was him she turned around to look at him for confirmation and that it wasn't her imagination running wild. She looked up to him as he put a hand to her cheek gently. Then her gaze turned to the man on the ground. She did that. She had killed him. Her body crumbled as she let go of the brick in her hands and Dwight wrapped his arms around her as they sat in the dark backyard.

Sherry's tears fell as she closed her eyes shut and sobbed. She could feel her whole body tense as she started to lose control of her entire self. Dwight only held her tightly and rocked her back and forth. He softy stroked her arm to calm her down as he whispered in her ear.

"It's almost over. We can do this." He kept on repeating while his lips lightly brushed her ear. "It's almost done."

Sherry rested her head back onto his chest as she took several breaths to get a hold of herself. An image appeared out of the corner of Sherry's eye but she noticed it was only Takuya taking on a walker. Immediately jolted back to the present, Sherry was reminded how precious time was and that she was slowly running out of it.

"I have to go." Sherry said with a strained voice. "They are waiting for me." She scooted away from Dwight as he stood and reached his hand towards her to help her up as well. She was visibly shaking as she continued to get a hold of herself but knew it wasn't the time to have a panic attack.

"Will you be okay?" Dwight asked her as kept on holding her hand hesitant to let go.

"No." Sherry said as she wiped her eyes with her free hand. "The time to dwell on it isn't now though." She tried to say it to convince him as much as she needed to convince herself. Some of things they had to do to survive would have been considered abominable but they lived in a new world where survival took on a higher level.

"Go." Sherry whispered to Dwight. "You can't be seen with me at all."

Dwight nodded but didn't let go of her hand as he never knew when it would be the last time that he would get to see her.

"Go." Sherry insisted again as she let go herself and started to run towards the back of the library. In between the building and the library, she saw walkers roam around in the distance inside Sanctuary. She dove into the brush behind the library as she crawled towards the small opening to see if Carol and the rest of the girls were still waiting for her.

Sure enough, Sherry heard the sounds of flesh being ripped apart but could see Carol and the other women fighting walkers as they appeared and were ready to attack.

When Carol saw Sherry emerge from the entrance, she looked at her with anxious eyes. "All the noise is bringing a lot of walkers to Sanctuary. We need to get out of here and meet at our rendezvous point." Carol stressed.

Once Sherry stood on the other side, she reached for Megan as Christy took a turn to help her along. They all followed Carol and ran while shredding at walkers that stalked their direction. As much as Sherry felt some success in getting her sisters out, she still had much to grieve about. She knew it would always be a difficult decision to take someone's life but couldn't even fathom how savage it was what she had just did. Another thing that tore at Sherry was the fact that she couldn't save all of her friends. Brittany and Jada were still in Sanctuary. _We'll come back for them,_ she thought. _Like Carol said, we can't save all of them._

…

"No!" Brittany screamed as a walker bit down once more on her upper arm. She looked up to Negan hopefully for some rescue but he had zero sympathy. He took a pistol from his person and aimed it at Brittany's head.

"Your time is up, sweetheart." Negan stated as Brittany gazed up to him with desperate and weak eyes. Dwight watched the betrayal that appeared on Brittany's face as she looked up to a man that she genuinely loved yet he didn't even try and save her.

Negan shot Brittany in the head and then quickly shot the walker that feasted upon her flesh.

"Motherfucker!" Negan proclaimed as he looked around Sanctuary. Walkers continued to pour inside while all survivors fought their way inside the mill. "Whoever was driving that truck is motherfucking dead!"

Several men ran to where the truck was that hit the fence as Dwight and Takuya also made their way inside the mill. The doors closed behind them as many Saviors still stayed outside of the walls to barricade the fence once more so they could deal with the internal problem without more walkers bothering them.

"Dwight, you ugly fucker!" Negan yelled inside the dimly lit mill as everyone gathered around. Negan pulled a chair to the center of the room as Dwight took deep breaths to prepare for whatever Negan had in mind for punishment. He sat down on the chair as Negan was handed some pruning shears.

Negan bent down to face Dwight as a Savior tied him down to the chair. Dwight didn't struggle as he knew anything of the sort would lead to far worse things. He wanted Negan to believe he was on his side. Even if it meant that a sacrifice had to be made that would leave him for the worst.

"Alright, Orlich, which one is it going to be?" Negan asked. "Enemy is at the gates and you are the only surviving guard. Everyone has to pay their fuckin' dues. Even you."

Dwight took a deep breath as he already gave it a lot of thought. He was only bracing for the following pain. "Right pinky toe." Dwight decided.

Negan smiled and stood up straight to address the rest of the Saviors. "I feel like I'm a gracious leader. I give you food as much as I am able to. I lead you all into a war to get back even more supplies. But when you fuck up against my plans to make Sanctuary a better place, you have to pay. Think about it. I will give everyone twenty-eight times to screw up. The first twenty times will be fingers and toes. The next four times will be hands and feet. The next four times will be arms and legs. Can't do much with just your head, can you?" Negan asked as everyone nodded that they were following his monologue.

"You know, one of my favorite jokes went like this." Negan continued as a Savior took Dwight's shoe and sock off his right foot. "What do you call a guy with no arms and no legs sitting in a ditch? Phil." A couple of Saviors chuckled as Negan knelt in front of Dwight. "What do you call a guy with no arms and no legs hanging on a wall? Or a fence for this matter? Art." Negan took the pruning shears to Dwight's pinky toe but didn't clamp it shut just yet. "What do you call just his arms and legs?"

Dwight closed his eyes as he braced himself once he felt the metal pinch down on his toe. It closed shut even more as he shouted with pain while Negan quickly took his toe off as punishment.

"Pieces of art." Negan finished his punchline and winked to Dwight who continued to tense his body as sweat rolled down his face from trying to contain how much overwhelming misery he felt. Among everything else, the Saviors laughed at Negan's joke as Dwight sat in the middle of the crowded room feeling completely alone.

The door to the mill opened and closed with a rush as several men brought a captive to the middle. Dwight could only presume it was the driver of the truck. Curious as to who it was, he looked up from his own pain but his eyes widened as he recognized who it was. It was Sasha.


	6. Chapter 6

**AUTHOR'S NOTE – Sorry for the long hiatus. But enjoy Chapter 6. PS. I hope that any of my readers are okay if located in Orlando, Florida. Writing about the evil people in the world (fiction or not) doesn't numb me from feeling the tragedies that happen. It's terribly sad. Mr. Rogers said to look for the people that are helping in the news when watching terror unfold. There are always people helping. The outpour of love on social media won't bring wonderful people back in the arms of their loved ones but it will unite us together to make a difference that we desire to see in the world. Love is love.**

Chapter 6

Amber looked at the fire that sat in the middle of the many people whom she didn't know. Even though Sherry trusted these people, Amber couldn't decide whether she traded one life of misery for another. It was difficult to trust anyone after what she had been through within the walls of Sanctuary. It was a living nightmare to be in as helpless position. Yet her time with Negan was the shortest out of all of his other wives.

The only thing that kept Amber from walking back towards Sanctuary was the fact that Rick's group allowed Sherry to help get them out of Sanctuary. That did count for something in Amber's book. She missed Mark desperately but knew deep down that he would rather her be with anyone over Negan.

One of the men that tended to the fire caught Amber's eye. He looked strikingly familiar but she couldn't quite place where she had seen his face. Did she know him before the outbreak happened? She searched every corner of her mind and still couldn't exactly place the distant memory with the face. Suddenly, a thought entered her mind as she pulled a small wallet-sized photo out of her pocket.

Amber had found the photo one of the first days that she arrived in Sanctuary and always kept it. The photo was of a family that consisted of one daughter, three sons, and a mother & father. Everyone besides the father had blond curly hair except the father who had light brown hair instead.

With three brothers of her own that she missed with all of her heart, she kept the photo in her hands as a reminder. She didn't have a picture of her family in her possession. It took the place of her family and when she was having a hard day, she would look at that picture to connect back to her old self before her world turned upside down.

Sherry told her about the family that used to live in the house before Negan turned it into his brothel. However, when Amber looked at the man in the photo that was clean shaven and smiling with his family, she looked up to the man who was now talking to another man with a crossbow. Although he still wore a smile on his face, the bearded man in front of her looked physically and emotionally exhausted like everyone else did in their new world.

Knowing the picture wasn't hers in the first place, it was still difficult to give it to its rightful owner. She shook her head and knew it was the right thing to do. Amber stood up and walked behind him as the man with the crossbow gestured towards her to indicate that she was there.

The man turned around with a friendly smile and stood up from his kneeling position. "How can I help you, ma'am?" He inquired.

Amber hesitated but handed him the wallet sized photo. "I found this and assumed it belonged to you." She said timidly.

The man looked down to the photo with surprise that quickly turned to contentment as he stared at each of the faces in the picture. "Wow… I never thought I would see those faces again." He said in awe. He showed her the picture as any father would have to show his family. "See the two oldest? That's my Todd and Teresa. Wow." He repeated as he suddenly wiped at his eyes.

He looked up to her with gratitude and disbelief. "Thanks for this. Really. It means so much to see this." He proclaimed almost as if he was going to hug her.

"No problem." Amber said and smiled while wondering where to go from there. She wasn't the most social butterfly and hated small talk whenever it presented itself.

"My name is Jason." He said with his hand outstretched.

She didn't accept his handshake and instead nodded as she walked away.

…

Megan tried to stay as still as possible while a woman named Maggie tended to her leg.

"I'm not much of a doctor." Maggie admitted as she started cutting Megan's jeans so she could get a clearer look at the injury. "I think your friend Sherry mentioned that she had an extra pair of pants?"

"Yep." Sherry said nearby as she watched Maggie work. They all had made it to the rendezvous point as Sherry was surprised to see Rick there with a worn look on his face. She thought at first that he changed his mind and didn't drive a truck inside the gates to let the walkers inside Sanctuary. Then Michonne informed her that Sasha didn't surrender the truck to Rick as planned and drove into the Sanctuary compound to take his place. Rick was livid that she went against the original plan but was now instead worried if they would ever see her again. Sherry hoped Negan would spare her life but wasn't sure if that would be the case. He hardly ever showed pity to anyone.

Sherry looked to her friends as they all sat with their faces unreadable. She could imagine that was what she looked like on her first day out of Sanctuary. She herself had lived through it and knew how surreal it felt to put the past behind her.

"Walking in a daze?" Sherry asked Megan.

Megan looked to her with her mouth agape. "I didn't think we would ever leave that place." She marveled.

"Sanctuary was terrible since you left." Christy said. "We didn't realize how much you tried to protect us from him. Sherry, it was awful." She said the last part as she took a deep shaky breath and looked down. Her long blonde hair fell to her lap as she looked solemn.

"I did what I had to." Sherry said and took Christy's hand. "I just wish that I could have gotten you guys out of there sooner." Maggie looked up from Megan's leg to gaze at Sherry for a small moment. Not too many people knew what their personal lives were like and the extent of the abusive relationship with Negan before they joined the communities.

"I just can't believe it's behind us now." Megan hummed again with a distant smile.

"We don't know that." Ashlyn said quietly.

Sherry looked up to Ashlyn with a glimmer of sadness. "Ashlyn, I will make sure that all of you are done with him. It will be okay." She said trying to cheer her up.

Ashlyn's tears fell as she shook her head. "It's nowhere near over." She said.

Sherry could relate to all of the girls except Ashlyn at that point. It hurt her heart to know that Ashlyn was going to have a baby. It hurt her heart more to know who the father was. Megan and Sherry exchanged looks as they were the only ones who knew at that point but then Sherry turned her attention back to Ashlyn.

"Ashlyn…" Sherry started.

"Are you all comfortable? We have extra food if you need it." Rick said as he approached them, cutting Sherry off from what she was going to say.

"Actually, Ashlyn just said that she wouldn't mind having an extra bit of something to eat." Megan piped up. Ashlyn gave her a death glare but didn't say anything.

"We can do that." Rick said as Sherry noticed his eyes lingering towards Christy's direction. Christy looked back up to him as he pretended to notice something more important but Sherry also saw Christy continuing her stare. Sherry just looked from Rick to Christy as she was slightly humored by their mutual awkwardness towards each other. She knew that Christy endured the same miserable life that she had and it would take a while to act upon any attraction felt but Sherry knew it was never too early to plant seeds for a budding relationship whether it be platonic or not.

"I didn't introduce my friends." Sherry said and pointed to Megan and thought to go down the line for introductions. "This is Megan."

"Hello." Megan said with a timid smile.

"And that's Amber." Sherry said as she looked to Amber who just stared into the fire next to them.

Amber looked up upon hearing her name but quickly looked back at the fire when she saw that it wasn't anything to important. Sherry knew Amber was thinking of Mark.

"That's Lauren." Sherry said as Lauren gave a small wave.

"That's Ashlyn." Sherry said while Ashlyn didn't even respond. She only clasped her hands together and stared at the forest floor.

"And this is…" Sherry started to say.

"My name is Barbara." Christy said with a smile as she looked up to Rick. Amber and Ashlyn were taken away from their peace and quiet as they looked up to everyone else that mutually appeared perplexed to say the least.

"Nice to meet you." Rick said and stretched his hand out in greeting. Christy shook it and continued to smile. "It's nice to meet all of you." He said as he looked to all of them. "I'll get that extra food."

" _Barbara_ wants to join you if that's okay." Megan called to Rick and smiled. Christy's face reddened as Rick stopped and looked to her.

"I don't mind the company." Rick responded.

"Okay." Christy said as she stood up. "Let me just grab something really quick."

Christy leaned down in between Sherry and Megan as they looked back up to her with devious smiles on their faces. _"Barbara?"_ They both asked her in unison.

"You said we all get a fresh start on life, right?" Christy asked as she looked to Sherry. "I'm starting mine now."

Sherry peeked at Megan quickly with a smile and they both looked up to Christy. Sherry remembered how much Christy started hating her name when Negan created a little tune out of it to either annoy her or just be annoying in general. Sherry could imagine why it was so grating but also, it was Christy's way of leaving the past behind. Sherry of all people knew what it felt like to want the freedom to move on with life. And that was Christy's way of doing so. "Barbara it is." Sherry said and looked up to Christy without a hint of amusement. She respected her decision.

Christy winked at her and started walking towards Rick who waited for her to walk with him to where they kept the supplies inside the cars.

Sherry watched as Christy strolled away slowly with Rick then took a slow breath. The events of the day and night started catching up with her as she looked around to see everyone looking how she felt. The mood around the camp was a feeling of being completely drained in every way possible. She began to think of what she had done inside Sanctuary as she closed her eyes and tried to keep her emotions under wraps. It wasn't the time to unfold inside Sanctuary and it wasn't the time to lose herself in the middle of the camp.

"We're hoping to help in any way possible." Megan said to Maggie innocently. "Whatever you need."

"We're thankful for any help at this point." Maggie remarked as she prepared to suture Megan's exit wound. "Sherry, do you mind holding a flashlight above this so I can see more clearly?"

Sherry searched through her backpack to get a flashlight out as the image of the man with the flashlight came to the forefront of her mind. She shook her head violently to shove it back and got the flashlight out and turned it on.

"You alright?" Maggie asked Sherry as she looked to her with concern. "You look a little pale."

Sherry shrugged it off and feigned indifference. "Yeah. Must be a stomach bug or something." She lied as her eye started to twitch. Sherry wondered what was the matter with her. It wasn't like her life was absent of any hardship or trauma before she joined up with Rick's group. She didn't think killing people would be another hoop to jump through in her state of mind. It was mentioned to her that Dwight even kept count of how many he killed. Not for sport but almost as a reminder that with each kill, the further from humanity he would leave. Sherry killed a lot less and had already began to lose count. She didn't know if it was because she already had too much on her mind or if she was just being inhumane.

"That man over there." Megan observed a man that had his own air mattress that laid down all by himself. No one paid him any attention or mind as they went about their business or went out of their way to ignore him. "Do you need to help take care of him?"

"I have done all I could for him." Maggie seethed as she eyed the man. "That's Gregory. He'll probably need more medical attention when we get back to Hilltop. I can't do anything more and nor do I even care to."

Sherry had never seen Gregory in person before but already thought low of him from what she heard about him. It was no wonder why people didn't give him the time of day.

Sherry stole a glance at all of her sisters and looked beyond them to see her new friends from Alexandria. She remembered what Dwight said to her to calm her down after she killed Flashlight Guy. _It's almost over,_ he had said to her.For her sake, she hoped it was.

…

Dwight didn't usually feel thankfulness in regards to Negan but he fortunately let Dwight take the time to rest or walk around to get used to managing the balance with only four toes on his right foot. Every so often, he would look down to his toe and almost be surprised that it was actually gone. Dwight did the same thing for his scar on his face when he first took the bandage off years ago. He knew it would take some getting used to butwould acclimate eventually.

Knowing the Negan would require him to be back on his feet soon, Dwight took his time of relaxation to walk around carefully. A small fire was made inside the mill as everyone gathered close and away from the walkers. Saviors would take shifts as they shot from above at the walkers below. With the front gate temporarily blocked off for even more walkers to travel inside Sanctuary, Dwight knew they still had a long night ahead of them. Dwight understood that Negan didn't like to be blindsided by both Gregory and the communities. Negan had hoped that kidnapping Gregory and holding him hostage would have proved to be more fruitful than it did. When it didn't pan out the way he wanted it to, all Negan could think about was to get back at them as soon as he could.

Takuya walked up to Dwight with gun powder and a lighter. Dwight knew what Takuya was suggesting before he even said it and rolled his eyes with dread then followed it with a moan.

"It'll be painful but it'll stop the bleeding so you can recover sooner." Takuya reasoned. "And you can't risk infection."

Being burned before, Dwight knew how much it was going to hurt to cauterize his wound. But he also suspected Negan didn't care whether or not he had time to fully heal so he started begrudgingly unwrapping the bandage around where his toe used to be. The gauze was already covered with blood.

"Alright, I'm ready." Dwight mumbled in between gritted teeth when the bandage was completely removed.

Takuya began peppering the area with gun powder as Dwight forced himself to stop shaking from the anticipation and how much it already prickled the open flesh. He started shaking his head again as if to back out but knew it had to be done or else Negan would cut off another toe if he continued to cry about it.

"Count of three," Takuya started and flicked the lighter where the small flame began to ignite. "One." Takuya finished counting and let the fire lick the gun powder where it all flared up suddenly while Takuya started patting it down so it wouldn't burn the rest of Dwight's skin.

Tears stung at Dwight's eyes from the excruciating pain while Takuya got the flames out. Takuya looked at him with a weak smile and then back at his toe. "We got it all. We don't have to do it again." He said while Dwight breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank God." Dwight uttered and looked at his foot. "Just when I started learning to do backflips and this happens." He joked but his humor fell flat by the exhaustion heard in his voice.

"I would tell you to relax on that foot but my guess is that you won't have time for that." Takuya stated. "I overheard that Negan wants to start questioning that woman when they are close to clearing out Sanctuary."

Dwight knew questioning wasn't the correct word to describe what Negan would do to Sasha. Negan toyed and took pleasure in torturing people more than focusing on getting information. Typically, Negan always involved Dwight in that department so Negan could have more enjoyment in watching versus acting upon. Dwight didn't really want to make sense of how demented Negan was but that was definitely an insane thing for a leader to request.

Takuya started unwrapping a Band-Aid and gave it to Dwight who knew it was for the sake of him running around that the wound wouldn't be irritated by the shoe. Dwight accepted it graciously and put it over where his pinky toe used to be.

"So what do you think Negan will do with the Alexandrian?" Takuya asked. "Sasha, isn't it?"

Dwight nodded. "Nothing good is going to come out of this." He answered back.

"Out of any of this?" Takuya questioned.

Inside the mill, Dwight could hear the families of the Saviors weep quietly as he surveyed each of their faces from a higher level. He looked down at them while they all huddled in a big circle while mothers tried to calm their children. That strange feeling started to come back to him. It was a feeling of remorse. It was only earlier that day that he had killed four fathers and husbands. They were only trying to protect their families and provide for them. Everyone was desperate and hungry. Dwight hated the front that he had to put up and hated going against the greater good.

"Dwight?" Takuya inquired with concern.

Dwight looked up to him and shook his head. "It's fine. I just need to start walking around and shake it off." He said while thinking both of his toe and wounded soul alike. With that, he walked away from Takuya to be alone with his thoughts.

…

Sherry woke up early in the back of a truck sandwiched in between Megan and Christy as they all snuggled underneath a large comforter against the cold morning air. Sherry shimmied her way out of the back of the truck with her empty canteen and walked to the middle of the camp where a water dispenser was set up nearby the fire.

"You sleep alright?" Someone asked near the fire. Sherry turned around to see Rick kneeling near the fire as he put more kindling on top of it.

Sherry filled up her canteen with water and then sat by the fire as Rick joined her once he was satisfied that the fire would stay strong enough on its own. "I got in a fight with someone twice my size yesterday and slept in the back of a truck last night. How do _you_ think I slept?" Sherry questioned with a smile on her face.

"The aches get worse as you get older." Rick commented back. Sherry smirked at his remark but stared down at her lap when a comfortable silence ensued.

"What happened in Sanctuary?" Sherry asked him. With her being on the other side of where all the action happened, she was unsure as to how things went down towards the mill.

"What do you know already?" Rick asked.

"Gregory was being an idiot," Sherry started.

"He was an asshole." Rick corrected. "What else is new?"

Sherry shrugged as if to say she had no personal opinion on the matter and went on. "Sasha decided to take your place?" Sherry asked.

Rick took a sharp breath as if pained by the thought.

"Rick, your idea of offering yourself up to Negan was noble and it could have worked. But I think all of us were worried about the possibility of you dying. The _only_ reason why people are standing up to Negan is because of you. Your people don't need their leader to die." Sherry reasoned. "If you're the glue that holds everyone together…"

"I don't always have to be. Our people are strong and they can take care of things without me causing any trouble." Rick said in a defeated undertone.

After some moments of silence, Sherry took a deep breath and sighed. "Bullshit." She said with a smile.

It took a second for Rick to register the flat tone to be taken as an insult as he looked to Sherry with consternation. He scrunched his eyebrows together as he stared at her straight face that was demanding to be heard. "Excuse me?" Rick asked.

"I'm sorry but Negan has a bone to pick with you. My experience has led me to believe that yeah, he wouldn't kill you if he captured you. But he would make you watch every friend's death while you stood helpless." Sherry observed and folded her arms as she looked to Rick expectantly. "How does _that_ scenario sound?"

Rick didn't say a word but considered what she said as she knew he thought his original plan was only a half-baked scheme.

"And I'm sorry, but the whole self-sacrificing front wouldn't have done a thing and you know that's true." Sherry ranted and looked to the fire.

Rick rolled his eyes and nodded in surrender with a smile. "Okay, okay. It wasn't a great plan." Rick's smile slowly went away as he thought about where it led his members. "And Sasha is suffering because of it."

"I'm sure she is okay, Rick." Sherry lied. She had no idea what Negan had planned for their friend. She only hoped that Negan had a moment of humanity and spared her life. Yet she knew that hope was a stretch. Sherry stared off into the distance as she knew Sanctuary was the worst place to be if you made Negan upset.

"Now I will call bullshit on that." Rick remarked back with no emotion as he looked at Sherry's direction. Rick was one of the only ones that knew the full extent of Sherry and her friend's abuse. Sasha was no safer there than anyone else who lived in Sanctuary.

They thought to themselves as others started to stir from their sleep and prepare for their day. Sherry could only hope that whatever Negan had in store for the offense would be a quick punishment and that she wouldn't suffer long term. That was the best outcome she could anticipate realistically.

When Sherry thought of long term punishments, she thought of Ashlyn and the burden she bore. It made Sherry sick thinking about it as she wondered what Ashlyn's choice would be in regards to the life that was growing inside of her.

Sherry knew she had come a long way in regards to what Negan made her be in Sanctuary. Yet she knew she would always carry the after effects with her as long as she lived. What never changed was the fact that whenever Negan would threaten someone's life whether she behaved or not, she still felt partially to blame for anyone that crossed paths with him. It was as if his behavior was her responsibility to control and when he lashed out, the blame was automatically placed on top of her.

…

Dwight slapped Sasha across the face while Negan paced a distance away. Sasha had her hands tied behind her as she knelt in the middle of a small room attached to the mill. Dwight presumed it used to be an office area for the clerks that would run the numbers a long time ago when that sort of thing mattered. Now it was used to torture people.

"You sure you have nothing else to say?" Negan asked as he leaned against a desk. "Fuck! We'll take anything at this point. What does Ricky have planned that we don't know?"

"You're sounding awful desperate." Sasha provoked while her lower lip bled freely. Dwight walked a distance away from her as he limped on his right foot getting by. He needed to shake off what was ingrained in his head to do so he didn't seriously injure Sasha. Yet, every punch and slap needed to look as convincing as possible with Negan in the room. The effort it took to balance being on both sides was starting to become too much especially in moments like the one he was enduring.

"You could only imagine why I would fuckin' feel that way!" Negan exclaimed as he walked closer to her. "It's pretty fucking obvious why I would love to know what Rick has planned up his fucking sleeve. I'm gonna rip him a new one when I get my fucking hands on him!" He started pacing again as he looked up to Dwight and nodded.

Dwight quickly walked up to Sasha and punched her in the stomach. Sasha hissed in protest as she leaned down to catch a breather. She looked at Dwight with a warning glare while Dwight gave her an apologetic shrug when Negan's back was turned. Two men that stood by the door started to laugh at Sasha's pain and mimic her cry of pain.

"Listen," Negan tried to schmooze. "We both have one thing in common. We both don't want more people to die."

Sasha glanced at him looking him directly in the eyes as they turned into slits. "I wouldn't say that."

Negan huffed as a smile formed. "What a hostile thing to say," He taunted. "And people say that _I'm_ the fucking psychotic one." He knelt down in front of her to stare her down. "Look, I'll be straight with you. I really don't care what scenario happens with you being here. This whole goddamn thing doesn't affect me and I won't lose an ounce of sleep if you end up fucking dead on this tile floor. But this really could be life altering for you. I want you to know that. One friend to another.

"Let's just say what happens when you give me information or not. You tell us all there is to know and I will grant you leader of the Alexandrians. You call the shots when Rick is fucking dead as a doornail. Work for me once more to establish the status quo and everyone goes back on their merry fucking way; as if nothing happened. The other option is that you die. The world forgets about you and I'll send your fucked up corpse to the front gates of Alexandria before I send all of my men to kill every person within their walls. Which option sounds ideal to you?"

"They will fight back." Sasha sneered as soon as he finished weighing her options for her.

"Yeah. We'll see about that." Negan said and looked out the office window to see a Savior standing outside trying to get Negan's attention.

Negan stood up and looked to Dwight. "You talk some sense into our guest while I have a chat right outside." He ordered and stepped outside with the two other Saviors while Negan quickly closed the door and started talking to the man who sought him out.

"Sorry about your lip." Dwight muttered quietly.

Sasha looked to him and thought to herself. "You're only doing your job." She whispered.

They were quiet for a moment as they anxiously awaited Negan's return. Sasha shook her head as tears stung her eyes. "He's not really known for bluffing, is he?" She asked.

"Unfortunately not." Dwight answered. "He has a way of pitting two worst case scenarios in an ultimatum. Believe me, I have been through that shit. I'm so sick of his crap he puts on people."

"I only have one option then." Sasha said and glanced at him. "If my friends live through this, can you tell them it was my choice to die?"

Dwight was humbled. She would choose to die because she believed her friends in Alexandria could hold their own against Negan. She had reason to believe that since they won the first round on the attack in Sanctuary, that they would come out on top. But that was only because Hilltop and the Kingdom were with them. Dwight warned of the dangers with their groups being far too separated from each other. An attack on Alexandria could prove to be fatal for everyone inside of their walls.

Negan walked back into the room and gestured for Dwight to step outside with him. Dwight did so as he hobbled out of the office. Negan held the door open and stood in the doorway while Dwight stood in the hallway waiting for him to trade some detail that the Savior relayed to Negan.

"The grounds have been cleared out enough for us to start retaliating." Negan explained and then continued. "We got ahold of outpost eleven and they saw them camped out and separating. They are headed towards all of our outposts to wipe them out. My guess is that they are going towards North and working their way South on their way back towards Alexandria."

Negan thought and looked at Sasha who quickly stared at the ground to not give anything away; not even a tell. "Meet them at the outpost furthest South. Don't alert anyone that is in the outposts. That could give them a clue something is wrong."

"So the people in the outposts will be outnumbered and overrun?" Dwight asked to make sure he heard correctly that Negan was going to sacrifice almost sixty men for their plan to work.

"Why? We still have a lot more." Negan said with a shrug and looked inside the office at Sasha. "I'll take care of her. Did she come up with a decision?"

"Yes." Sasha said quietly and looked up to him without fear.

"Good. We can start to get the ball rolling." Negan said and nodded to Dwight once more. "Get these guys out of here. They are a little anxious to start banging some Alexandrian heads in."

…

Sherry could tell the confidence from that day versus the night before was a stark difference. They had torn through six outposts with the Saviors inside those outposts being none the wiser. With Sanctuary still supposedly being preoccupied with walkers storming through their walls, they had to act while the iron was still hot. They started north and split up where they would all meet at the outpost that they first took out and head back on their merry way.

The motivation of the group was astoundingly optimistic with the more Saviors that perished. Sherry was also starting to feel confident that her life could move on a little easier than imagined previously.

They had one more outpost to attack as they all quietly walked stealthily in the forest with weapons drawn. They were all descending upon the last tower slowly. Even with the outpost tower being one hundred yards away, they didn't want to act too cocky by going in there guns a blazing. They still had to be smart.

Her friends stayed near the back of the line as they were the least practiced out of the entire bunch. It was also because of Sherry's insistence that she convinced Rick that they weren't ready to be on the front lines.

"Somethin' don't feel right." Daryl grumbled close to her as she walked slowly next to Michonne and Carol.

Sherry could only feel the dread of going through with another outpost one more time. Her senses were starting to prepare to do what had to be done in order to help her group. Until Daryl said something, she wouldn't have paid attention to the surroundings that felt slightly off.

"Let's keep moving." Rick said in front of them with his weapon drawn still.

"I feel ya, man." Jason said nudging Daryl. "Something feels wrong."

"We got all of the outposts on the west side of Sanctuary." Heath reasoned. "Let's just quit while we're ahead."

"No." Rick maintained stubbornly.

"This isn't going to bring Sasha back." Michonne argued. "I think Daryl's right."

"This outpost is the closest one to Alexandria." Rick retaliated and looked at his doubtful group. "We need to at least try…" He stopped when he heard something fifty yards away whistle.

"Fuck." Rick said as everyone heard the noise as well and held their weapons up. Sherry knew that whistle. It was one of the newer tactics that the Saviors used to corral any of their victims. Daryl was right. Something was incredibly wrong.

They heard gunfire go off behind them as the people in the back of the line started running towards the front in a hurry. Sherry and the people around her all crouched low as they knew the only thing to do was run at that point. But they waited for the weaker members to make their way to the front first so the ones who were well equipped to fight could defend whoever needed defending.

Sherry noticed the gunfire wasn't harming anyone just yet and then glanced the direction the people were running towards. An open meadow.

"The Saviors are trapping us!" Sherry called but stood up to run towards her friends. She reached Megan as she stumbled slowly with the help of Maggie and Ashlyn. Sherry took Maggie's place as Michonne took Ashlyn's as they started running into the open meadow regardless of the danger.

"Keep runnin'! Don't look back!" Daryl commanded everyone as they took that step in the meadow.

Through gritted teeth, Megan ran as hard as she could even with the bullet wound on her leg. Instinct took over as she almost didn't need Michonne and Sherry for support. Maggie and Ashlyn stayed in front of them while Sherry started to hear and feel bullets whiz by around her.

All gunfire rained down on them as they started running into the forest on the opposite side of the meadows as fast as they could. They had all been cornered to take that route into the meadow so the Saviors would have open range without anything getting in their way. One by one, people surrounding her started falling to their deaths as they had been killed on target.

Almost as if her subconscious wanted to make way for something important, one bullet flew behind her but came to a dead stop as it penetrated skin. The sound it made was horrific as Sherry looked down to see whether or not she had been hit herself. She felt no pain but searched her surroundings to see if anything had changed. She realized that Jason was no longer running nearby like he should have. He was close by her when it all happened. She turned her head and stopped to see him lying on the meadow ground with his face in the dirt.

"No…" Sherry started to mumble as quick emotion started to take its place. Jason was a husband and a father to people that mattered to her. Jason mattered to her personally as well. She needed to get him out of there if he was injured so Terri could fix him. Amber took Sherry's place and helped Megan along as Sherry took her moment of pause as she looked at Jason's body in disbelief.

She didn't even see Rick that barreled into her and started moving them towards the forest and away from Jason. Daryl followed behind them as their raid had proved to be useless. Sanctuary had won that round.

"Rick! No!" Sherry screamed as she tried to make her way back to Jason who hadn't moved from his spot.

"Sherry, he's gone!" Rick shouted to be heard over the ever present and constant gunfire. Instinct made Sherry start running towards the forest in tears as she knew turning around to help Jason would prove to be futile for everyone involved. She could only cry as they treaded onwards. There wasn't any time to compute what had just happened. They had only been in the meadow for less than a minute. Within that manner of time, Jason went from being alive to gone. Sherry was floored at how quickly his soul just vanished. She couldn't fathom telling Terri when they got back home. Or Teegan and Troy that their dad would no longer be there for dinner or throw a baseball around.

…

Dwight walked into the meadow when the air cleared up as the dirt that was picked up from all the action started to subside back to the ground. Negan showed his brutality more than Dwight had ever seen. Dozens of members from the communities laid lifeless around him as he looked around to see if he knew anyone. He hoped that it wouldn't be the case as he searched bodies and faces while Saviors started conversing to each other about their personal victory.

Then he saw a man spasm slightly as he rolled over to face upwards. Instantly, Dwight's face grimaced. He recognized Jason in his near dead state as he quickly walked over to him to see how badly injured he was. As Dwight knelt down, he saw a gigantic puddle of blood underneath Jason's neck as he felt for the source. Jason only watched him with weak eyes as he kept on shaking. He couldn't speak as his mouth gurgled and blood started to spill past his lips.

Dwight felt in the back of Jason's neck that he had been shot in the throat. Something had also detached his spinal cord as Dwight could feel the disconnection and knew that the chances of Jason living through the injury was at a zero percent.

"Hey!" Dwight whispered. He was far enough away from other Saviors and they didn't pay him any attention. "It'll be okay. What do you need me to do?"

Jason took a shaky hand and pointed to his jacket pocket unsteadily and quickly put his hand back down exhausted from the strain it took to do that simple motion. Dwight opened the pocket to retrieve whatever it was that Jason needed but felt nothing save a thin sheet of paper. From the feel of it, Dwight could tell it was a photograph before he revealed it to Jason as he showed him the picture.

"Is this what you're looking for?" Dwight asked and looked to Jason who couldn't even nod his head. Dwight held the picture still as Jason looked up to it with a small form of calm encircling about his countenance. His body slowly stopped shaking as Dwight could almost see his life leave while he continued to stare at the photograph.

Then his eyelids started to flutter to a close as his chest no longer moved up and down for want of air. Dwight looked at Jason as his own hand started to shake. He closed his eyes and bowed his head in reverence of a friend who passed away. Tears were threatening to break through as he put a hand over his mouth to control the anger that was boiling to the surface. The war didn't end soon enough for him. Jason was dead and he led the wolves to the sheep. He turned the picture around to see the whole McCoy family smiling at the camera. Not a care in the world.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Sherry could feel the car move as she kept her eyes closed with steady, silent tears rolling down her face. The stream of light from the sunset kissed her cheek as she and the others rode quickly back to Alexandria. Some of their people had been injured greatly in the ambush at that godforsaken meadow. Even before they knew something was off, they already played right into the Savior's hands.

The image of Jason being face down in the dirt fought its way to the front of her mind as she closed her eyes tightly in an attempt to shut it out. Her bottom lip started quivering while she put a hand over her mouth to mute the cries that she felt were at hand.

It was a death that she couldn't pretend didn't affect her. There were so few left from her original group. In the first six months before Sanctuary, she witnessed the death of Jason and Terri's two oldest children. It was in those moments where their small group of survivors bonded in their mutual trauma. They were each cut off from the rest of their family as they became each other's family. It was the same with Negan's other wives. Sherry loved each of them more than she could express with words.

…

"…Francine Daniels, Jason McCoy, Richard Somners, Sasha Williams, and Eric Raleigh." Father Gabriel announced to all of them as they stood next to the church building gathered around in their grief. "These men and women didn't deserve to die. They believed in what our communities stood for. They believed that we could unite together and stand against tyranny for the greater good.

"'Then I heard a voice from heaven say, _Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on. Yes,_ says the spirit, _they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them._ '" Father Gabriel continued while Sherry looked around at everyone who had their heads bowed in reverence. Terri stood with Teegan and Troy standing on each side of her holding her hands while she wept quietly. Jenna, Yolanda, and Kevin stood behind her with hands on her shoulder in comfort. Sherry stood close to them with her friends beside her as they looked on with sorrow.

Sherry looked to the opposite side of the vigil and where the king's men and king stood in mourning at their many fallen comrades. Their side of Hilltop and Alexandria only had a dozen in comparison to their twenty-eight men that died. Ezekiel was taking it the hardest as Sherry noticed his tiger was missing.

It was a rough day for all the communities alike. They were unsure if they even chipped or bruised Sanctuary's heel. It felt like the Savior's obliterated their morale. No one said war was going to be easy. Each of them knew what they signed up for when they no longer wanted to take Negan's authority.

Things were easier for Sherry when she could just close herself off from the others around her. Negan created this personal isolation for her where it sometimes felt like she and he were the only people in the world. It was simple. He built up this wall around her where he figuratively and literally forced himself in. She had no choice but to sometimes lean on him as a friend.

Then when she felt herself slipping into his hands, she would always remember him for what he really was. He was a sadist. He beat her. He mutilated Dwight. Jason's death was on Negan's hands. She shoved the years of empathy she felt in regards to Negan and focused on the many terrible things he had done. The evils that he had done to everyone around him easily outweighed the small amounts of goodness that she saw on rare occasions.

…

"You can live with me for however long you need to." Deanna said with a smile to all of the girls as they each held laundry baskets full of things such as clothes, shoes, and sanitary items. "You have all been interviewed by both myself and Rick. You may now consider yourselves a part of our family."

Sherry held Ashlyn's laundry basket for her while walking into the living room of Deanna's house. Christy started unfolding one of the air mattresses as Megan sat with a heap on the couch. Lauren and Amber followed behind Sherry with their own laundry baskets in hand.

Megan looked up at the ceiling in disbelief as a cry escaped her throat. She instantly covered her eyes with her hands and started to sob while all the other girls gazed at her with their own eyes watering.

Christy stopped with the air mattress and started wiping at her cheeks. "Please, Megan. Don't start this again." She begged as she tried to get ahold of her emotions.

"I'm sorry. It's just that I really didn't think this day was going to come." Megan confessed. "I've said it so many times but…"

"We know how you feel." Lauren said and sat next to Megan and hugged her. The action was quickly followed by Christy and Amber as they each sat on the couch and embraced each other. Sherry knew the feeling. It was a relief to be out of Sanctuary.

As much as she wanted to join in the happiness, she was content to watch from a distance. She could only remember how much her time in Alexandria was slowly ticking away. If Negan won, she would be taken back. She thought it was bad before she left. The isolation would be far worse without her sisters or Kevin there. It would only be Negan and her.

"Is this the whole group?" She heard Deanna ask as Ashlyn took it upon herself to answer.

"No." Ashlyn confided. "Two of us are still in Sanctuary, unfortunately."

"I am sorry." Deanna sympathized. "They will be with us soon. What are their names?"

"Brittany and Jada. And I hope you're right." Ashlyn said with a polite smile.

"Would it be alright if Ashlyn sleeps upstairs in one of your son's bedrooms?" Sherry asked Deanna while the girls on the couch conversed with each other in near giddiness. "She needs back support."

"Sure! No problem!" Deanna said sweetly. "I can put you in Aiden's room."

"Is it okay if Sherry stays with me?" Ashlyn asked cautiously. Sherry understood the hesitance. She recalled asking Terri if she could stand by the bathroom door while she took a shower. Even though Negan was far away, his presence still lingered. Even being gone for an entire month, his grasp was still suffocating.

Deanna looked to Sherry for her to answer herself.

"I'll just have to let Yolanda know that I'll be gone." Sherry said and thought about Kevin and Yolanda sleeping in the McCoy's family room. She knew it would be nice for Terri to have one less guest to worry about. Even though she was sure that Yolanda would be serving Terri breakfast in bed until Terri felt up to it.

Terri poured herself into taking care of the wounded from the meadow so she didn't have to focus on her husband's death. Teegan and Troy were distracted by Daryl taking them out hunting for rabbits close to the gates. Sherry wasn't needed at the present time by the McCoy family. She was sure it would be fine if she located to a different house for the time being.

"I'll go double check with Yolanda to see if it's okay. But I'm sure it'll be fine." Sherry said and put an arm on Ashlyn's shoulder.

"Then you can sleep in Spencer's room." Deanna responded. "It's right next to Aiden's and the rooms share a bathroom."

"Thank you." Sherry said with an appreciative tone towards Deanna. "For everything."

"Don't mention it." Deanna said with a wave of her hand to actually show her little of a deal it was. She then turned her attention to the other girls and cleared her throat to speak. "I hope you ladies don't mind macaroni and cheese in a box for dinner tonight."

"I have craved that for years!" Christy bursted out while wiping at some tears. "Do you need help making it?"

"I would love the help, thank you!" Deanna exclaimed with happiness. Sherry understood Deanna's maternal attitude towards Alexandria. It was more because her own family had passed away but she loved to take care of whoever needed support. Sherry wanted to be like her one day.

"I'll be right back." Sherry announced to Ashlyn who was the only within hearing distance as the other women were already in the kitchen getting pots and drainers out for cooking.

"Don't be gone for too long." Ashlyn requested to Sherry.

"I'll try not to." Sherry replied with a smile. "Go have fun for a bit with the rest of the girls, Ashlyn. We're in a war but the time like it is now could be limited. Enjoy yourself while it lasts."

Ashlyn gave a half-hearted smile to show that she would make an effort but Sherry wasn't convinced. Sherry walked towards Ashlyn and gave her a soft hug that was instantly reciprocated.

"I will fix all of this, Ashlyn." Sherry promised while Ashlyn had to lean over to rest her chin on Sherry's shoulder. "We'll take care of you."

"Okay." Ashlyn whispered emotionally. They broke away while Sherry wiped some of Ashlyn's tears off of her cheeks.

"You won't be alone in this." Sherry informed while stepping away and out the door with Ashlyn unsure whether to join the girls or just stand there until Sherry returned.

…

Sherry knocked on the door of the hospital waiting for a response. Tara, who was the nurse Denise's girlfriend, answered the door with a friendly smile. "Come on in!" She greeted and opened the door wider for Sherry to walk inside.

Sherry walked through the doorway and saw several cots with people on them while Denise took her turn tending to each of them. The lights were dimmed so the patients could get some sleep in the night. Sherry walked to the kitchen area to not be in the way while Tara followed.

"Terri went home a couple minutes ago," Tara began. "If that's who you are here to see."

Sherry nodded her head in approval. "Good. I'm glad that she is going home to relax and process a couple of things." Sherry said. She and Rick were the ones who informed Terri about Jason's passing. Even in that moment, Terri didn't really shed a tear and only asked if others were injured in the ambush and then went to it after she had a small moment with her sons to let them know what happened. The boys soon were invited to Rick's house to hang out with Carl and then hunted for bunnies soon after that with Daryl.

"I'm here to see Denise, actually." Sherry stated gravely.

"Is something wrong?" Tara asked upon hearing her tone.

"Yeah." Sherry said and rubbed her eyes while trying to process the whirlwind of a week she had. "We have a small little situation that needs to be dealt with. Not a lot of people can know about it."

Tara looked intrigued but then stared at Denise who walked in with an exhausted look on her face. "Hey, Sher Bear!" She exclaimed quietly so to not bother the patients. She walked to stand beside Tara and wrapped an arm around her. "Are you okay?" She asked sensing the negative attitude in the room.

"Do you have abortion pills here?" Sherry whispered over the counter so only they could hear.

Both Denise and Tara's eyes widened at the question wondering if they heard her correctly.

"Sherry, are you…?" Denise asked.

Sherry shook her head quickly. "No. They aren't for me." She stated. "They are for a friend."

"Does she need to see me?" Denise asked. "She will need to come in soon to see if everything… passed… properly. Depending on if she uses them or not."

"I'll let her know those are your terms for having them." Sherry assured.

"I need to know the reason before I give them to you." Denise said. "I don't need the woman's spouse coming in here and blaming me."

"It's Negan's." Sherry whispered and saw Denise and Tara's reaction as they closed their mouths. It was a good enough reason.

"We wives didn't have the best life in Sanctuary." Sherry stressed. "If you have any qualms against abortions except for cases of incest or rape, I assure you, it's under one of those categories. My friend deserves to have this be an option."

"Does he know?" Tara inquired.

"No." Sherry stated. "And he'll never find out. Please, this is my fault. I tried so hard to not make this happen to any of them. She wouldn't have to make this decision if I didn't leave Sanctuary in the first place."

"Someone's at fault but Sher, it isn't you." Tara said caringly.

"I'll give you the pills." Denise announced and walked towards her large medicine cabinet. She reached towards the back while pushing other pill bottles to the side for easier access. "We haven't really had a request for these." She then produced two bottles and brought them to the kitchen counter.

"The first one is Mifepristone. She only needs to take this once." Denise instructed while taking it out of the bottle while Tara got a plastic bag. "It's the bigger round pill. The next pills that she takes are Misoprostol. 24 hours after the mifepristone, she will take four of those. Tell her to keep them under her tongue for thirty minutes until they are completely dissolved. Then four hours after that, two more of the tablets. One, four, two." Denise gazed at Tara who already got a sharpie to write the instructions on the bag.

"Please tell Ashlyn to not be afraid of judgment from us." Denise said sweetly. "We can even go see her at Deanna's house so she is more comfortable in her own new space and not around other patients. If it's a private matter, we'll treat it as such."

Tara gave the bag to Sherry who was overwhelmed at both of their generosity. Denise brought her into a hug while Tara walked around the counter to join in. Sherry took the time to cry about her woes that she felt for both Ashlyn and Jason combined. Including the feelings she had when she killed more people within Sanctuary, she sobbed on Denise's shoulder while they each shared in the grief that was a mutual burden for them and all of Alexandria.

…

After Sherry stopped by Terri's house to let them know she would be staying at Deanna's house for the time being, she walked with a suitcase full of her clothes to be with her friends for the rest of the night. As she passed by the houses, she could see through windows of homes while people tried to go about their daily lives. She noticed that they tried but they weren't able to quite take the feeling that they all shared from the ambush and attack on Sanctuary. Numbers wise, they did very well. A lot of Saviors in the outposts were taken care of and they were unsure how many countless perished within the walls of Sanctuary when a decent sized herd descended upon them.

All of their communities combined lost a total of forty people; forty-one including Sasha. Sherry remembered the older woman in the Kingdom who called Richard her grandson. To know that he spent most of the apocalypse tending to the woman's needs as any devoted person would do to their grandma, made Sherry feel utterly depressed that the woman's entire support system vanished.

Sanctuary could afford big losses but they couldn't. Everyone felt a personal and tremendous loss. The sorrow was evident in the air. As Sherry walked, she could still see people gathered outside the church with candles in reverent vigil. Sherry knew the difference between Sanctuary and Alexandria was that they wouldn't hold funerals for the dead. Alexandria at least cared for each loss in the most emotional way possible. Sherry was glad for the difference. It was important for them all to stay close to the sorrows that befell them.

Sherry saw as Rick was heading her way with a somber stride. Another difference that Sherry made a mental note of was that Alexandria's leader also felt the sad affects throughout. Negan wouldn't have cared. Or at least he would have pretended to.

Once Rick made it over to her, he put his head down in mourning. "Is Terri feeling better?" He asked.

Sherry nodded and knew his question was sincere. "I just saw her. I really don't think she has allowed it to sink in just yet. She cried during the small service that Father Gabriel held for those who were grieving but then went back to work soon after."

Rick rubbed his eyes with his index finger and thumb while still looking at the ground. "I know what it's like to lose someone close…" He started. "I feel like this is all my fault."

Sherry propped her suitcase up to stand on its own and then looked at Rick. She took him by the shoulders and looked at him.

"Join the club." Sherry stated while Rick smiled slightly at her comment. "But that's also on you. You wouldn't let me go back to Sanctuary when you kidnapped me."

Rick looked up to her and then turned to look at the pond that sat in the middle of Alexandria. He walked several steps away to ponder everything on his mind. Sherry was able to bond with Rick over the last month as he sought her out for Sanctuary's layout in specific detail. Their mutual desire for Alexandria to be a better place made them get along with their same ideologies.

"I never know if I make the right decisions anymore." Rick revealed. "Any decision I have made since this whole thing has happened has gotten people killed."

"You wouldn't know if you chose a different route whether or not that would have gotten more people killed." Sherry reasoned. "Death is inevitable at this point in time."

"Yeah," Rick reluctantly agreed. "Still doesn't make it any easier."

"I don't think it's ever supposed to be easier." Sherry comforted while overlooking the pond as well. "Without the bitter, the sweet wouldn't taste as sweet."

"My wife used to say that." Rick said and looked down. "But I guess it's true. I have just tasted a lot of bitter the last couple of years."

"I think we all have." Sherry agreed. "We're all ready for our lives to slow down."

Rick looked to her and nodded. He then looked at her bag with mild curiosity.

"I'm living at Deanna's for a while." Sherry explained. "With the rest of my friends from Sanctuary."

"Oh." Rick said and got quiet as if trying to think of what else to say.

"You know, we have all been through a lot," Sherry started. "However, it's not too early to make some nice friendships with some particular people."

"Who are you referring to?" Rick asked with a smile on his face.

" _Barbara."_ Sherry said in reference to Christy's new name that she wanted to be called. "She's a nice person and a great listener. I think you guys would get along when things start settling down."

"You think so." Rick said in more of a statement than a question. "Well, I guess I'll have to see whether you're right about that."

"I already know I am." Sherry said and grabbed her suitcase. "Rest up, Grimes. We could potentially have a crazy night at any given time. Take this time to sleep when you can."

"Likewise, Sherry." Rick said already in a better mood than he was before he spoke with her. "Have a good night."

…

Things were finally quiet again in Sanctuary. The front gate had been torn down completely and as the Gila stood in front of the opening as a temporary fix until they got another fence. Until then, they used the old entrance for the comings and goings of business around the area. A quarter of the fence burned around the front gate around the mill.

Dwight looked on from the top of a building holding a bloodied picture of the McCoy family. On and off throughout the entire day, he would look at it and just think about their family. He wondered how the surviving part of the family were dealing with their new loss. Jason had one of the biggest personalities that Dwight had ever known.

When all the Saviors left the area, Dwight stayed behind and took the time to bury Jason. He wished he had more time to spare with the others that fell but knew walkers meandered in the direction that they heard noise last. His time was very limited with worry of being surrounded by the common enemy.

Dwight heard someone walk up the side stairs of building and saw Takuya walk onto the roof alone with a solemn look on his face. Mark was in the ambush alongside him and knew he must have told Takuya when Dwight stayed behind.

"Mark tell you?" Dwight asked when Takuya made his way over.

Takuya nodded and sighed. "He was a good man. Didn't deserve to die like that." He replied while he stared down at the ground.

Dwight didn't respond back at his statement but instead looked at Sanctuary from a bird's eye view. Never once did Sanctuary provide Dwight with a feeling of safety or comfort like a real home would have. It had always been a place where he was denied every opportunity to be happy. Even in that moment, he desperately wanted to be in Alexandria instead where real people were. Most of his family was there besides Takuya, Carson, and Mark whom all worked as double agents alongside him. He only wished to finally go to a place where at the end of the day, he could rest his head down in a place that really felt like a home.

"We need to get out of here." Takuya muttered to himself.

"Amen to that." Dwight said heavily thinking about how far he had fallen while looking at the McCoy's family picture once more before placing it in his pocket for safe keeping.

…

Sherry set Ashlyn aside to give her the pills. When Sherry gave Ashlyn the instructions, she decided to leave Ashlyn to make the decision on her own without the persuasion of any outside influences. She couldn't even fathom how difficult a decision like that would be.

As Sherry was getting ready for bed in her new room in Deanna's house, she heard a small cry from the bathroom that was in between the two bedrooms which Ashlyn and Sherry slept in.

Unsure of whether to interfere or not, Sherry decided to see if Ashlyn needed help with anything. She walked over to the bathroom door and knocked quietly in the darkness. When she heard no response and only more small whimpers, she started to become worried.

"Ashlyn," Sherry whispered. "Are you alright?"

Again, there wasn't a reply as Sherry started slowly opening the door. When the door was wide open, she saw Ashlyn over the bathroom counter with the pills sitting beneath her. She was shaking her head back and forth as tears dropped from her face.

"I can't." Ashlyn cried quietly and put her hands over her face almost in shame. "I can't do it."

Sherry quickly brought her into a hug as Ashlyn held onto her with a vice grip and started crying openly. Sherry didn't dare ask or assume what it was that Ashlyn couldn't bring herself to do. She only tried to be there for her.

"I am so confused!" Ashlyn bursted out on Sherry's shoulder. "He killed my sister but I can't… _kill it_. I can't do it."

"It's okay." Sherry soothed as she looked at the pills that were placed on the counter. It was now apparent that Ashlyn was making a choice of her own. And it made Sherry's heart break for her.

"Is this what you want to do, Ashlyn?" Sherry asked with concern.

Sherry could feel Ashlyn's head nod as she breathed unevenly from the emotion.

"I will back you up on this, Ashlyn. Every step of the way." Sherry took Ashlyn's shoulders and held at arm's length away to look her squarely in the eyes. "This was your decision that you made of your own control. He had no part in this; therefore he will have no part in this baby's life. This is your baby. You don't have to share with him or anybody. You have all the control." Sherry paused to let that sink in. She knew how difficult it was to shake the feeling of every thought being invaded by Negan. It was something she needed to hear. "Do you want to go forward with this?"

"Yes." Ashlyn stated shakily.

"Are you wanting to find someone else to keep the baby when it's born?" Sherry inquired only to make sure she knew everything only to help Ashlyn later on.

Ashlyn thought about it but shook her head slowly. "No." She whispered.

Sherry let Ashlyn's choice sink in as she breathed slowly. She was going to be with her trying to help no matter what. "Alright. Then we are going to get you some prenatal vitamins and a doctor's appointment with the one in Hilltop. Their doctor used to be an obstetrician." Sherry suggested and then gave her a supportive smile.

"What if he finds out?" Ashlyn questioned with a terrified look on her face.

"We won't let that happen." Sherry said firmly. They both sat down on the bathroom floor in the dark while Ashlyn rested her head on Sherry's lap while Sherry stroked her hair softly. "It'll all end up alright." She said less confidently than her last statement. However, one thing that she could promise was that if Alexandria failed to shake out of Negan's control, Sherry would make sure that he only brought her back to Sanctuary and would make him promise to leave the other girls behind. That was a vow that she kept to herself. She wanted to assure that everyone was safe. Even if it meant she was damned for the rest of her life.

"I hope so." Ashlyn said as they stayed on the tile floor for another thirty minutes contemplating what the future had in store for them.

Sherry invited Ashlyn to her bedroom to sleep for the night so that way she didn't feel so alone. A few hours passed and Sherry awoke from her sleep to hear the door creak open. It was Christy who ended up sleeping in Sherry's bed as well to fall asleep with her friends. It wasn't uncommon when they lived in Sanctuary that they would all just end up sleeping in the same room for collective consoling. Sherry was glad they were in Alexandria together. Only if just for a little while. 

…

Dwight sat back with his feet resting on top of Negan's desk looking up at the ceiling. They had been discussing battle tactics for hours and hours going back and forth about what was going to happen early the next morning. When Dwight heard that Alexandria was going to make the first move in attacking Sanctuary, he knew that the time for each side to recoup would be nonexistent. Every one of the Saviors was exhausted by the way Negan was pushing them to retaliate. With no more walkers inside the walls, everyone wanted time to process the attack that nearly consumed all of them. However, Negan wasn't going to give that time of sympathy to them.

Negan was pacing back and forth from one side of his desk to the other while everyone waited upon hearing what he had to say. They were going on their eighth hour and Dwight was concerned about the amount of sleep they were all going to get before what seemed like another big day.

Dwight took his eyes off the ceiling and then focused on Negan who fiddled with a pen in his hand as he thumped it against the desk in thought.

"What you mentioned about Sasha…" Negan started and looked to Dwight. "This isn't like it used to be with ole' Jesus during the good days." He said in reference to when Paul was a hostage in Sanctuary many years ago when Dwight suggested they let him go free. "I don't want to extend a fucking olive branch with this one. They ran out of chances."

"Really?" Dwight questioned while sitting up straight. "You're just gonna blow the shit out of Alexandria. All there is to it?"

Negan shrugged with wide eyes as if wondering out loud why it was such a problem. "Kingdom and Hilltop will see firsthand what happens when they decide to take on big brother. Sometimes you have to rule by example." He replied while the other men in the room nodded their approval.

Just then the door opened and everyone turned their head to see who it was. Jada poked her head in while tears were streaming down her face as she walked into the room.

Negan shook his head and looked annoyed by her presence as he crossed his arms over his chest. "What?" He barked while some men snickered at his reaction.

"You told me to wait upstairs." Jada replied timidly. "I just wanted to know if you still needed me to wait or if I could…"

"Yes I still need you to fucking wait up for me, Jada." Negan grumbled. "You don't expect me to just fuck myself, do you?"

"Well…I…" She started.

"Go back upstairs." Negan demanded.

"Negan, please!" Jada said while more tears started falling from her eyes. Dwight had to look away as bile started rising in his throat. The whole interaction was bringing up one of the worst memories of his life that he would soon rather forget. He had to keep his cool until the right moment arose. Inside of a room full of men who idolized Negan wasn't the time or place to look conspicuous.

Negan started walking towards her with his hand raised as she quickly left the room and shut the door. Some of the men laughed while Dwight tapped his foot to keep his temper in check. Negan only shook his head again and strutted back to his place at the desk.

"You're a lucky man tonight, Negan." One of the men asked. Dwight didn't even check to see who said it as he kept his head down to ignore the conversation as much as he could until he was able to go to his house.

"I suppose you're right." Negan muttered to himself as he looked at a map of Alexandria. "Can't wait to pick up the loan I gave to Alexandria though. That one has been too long to go without."

Dwight looked up to Negan with confusion written on his face. "Loan?" He asked.

Negan glanced to Dwight and scoffed as he turned his attention back to the map once more. "You didn't think I was going to let Sherry stay there, did you?" Negan chuckled darkly. "If Alexandria needs her to feel like they have a step up in the fight, then I'll let them have that placebo. Still won't make a damn difference once it boils down to it."

"Didn't she shoot at you?" One of the men asked Negan. Dwight didn't care to see who asked the question. He only stared down at the floor as his blood started to boil. "Let that bitch rot with the rest of the Alexandrians." The man continued.

"First off, that's way too easy of a punishment for her." Negan disagreed. "Second, you want to get me started on what a fucking waste that would be? She's the best piece of ass I have ever had."

Dwight stared at his hands as they clenched into fists. It was getting more difficult to keep a nonchalant attitude when Negan would start bragging about Sherry. It didn't happen too much when Dwight was working as a double agent but whenever it did, Dwight had to leave the room. In this case, he had no choice but to listen.

Dwight looked up from his lap to see Negan staring straight at him while a smile crept upon his face. Dwight instead decided to stare him down refusing to be the first one to look away. Negan reached over his desk and jokingly slapped the left side of Dwight's face that was burned from the iron years earlier. Negan chuckled again but then focused on the map again.

"All of you need to leave." Negan announced. "We are heading towards Alexandria the second the sun rises." Everyone started standing up and leaving the office as Dwight did the same. Dwight was unsure of what to think. Negan's pursuit of Sherry wasn't a game to him. He had hoped that after the incident of Sherry shooting him that it would sway Negan from even so much as thinking about her. It made his stomach hurt to think of Alexandria failing. It meant Sherry's life was permanently severed from anything free.

"Do you really need Sherry when all of this is said and done?" Dwight asked in the doorway of the office while all the men left in front of him. The words just left him before he gave it a second thought. For her sake, he needed to fight for her. No matter how important his role was, ultimately she was far more important to him. He turned to see Negan stand straight up with a smile still on his face.

"Sounds like someone isn't completely over her." Negan teased instead of answering the question.

Dwight kept his mouth shut trying to think of what to say that would sound convincing. "She's been through enough, don't you think? We can agree on a lot of things but she chose to be with Alexandria. Shouldn't we just leave her be?" It was a bold question but Dwight thought it was worth asking. Even though he had to pretend to be on Negan's side, he knew Negan would remember Dwight and Sherry's punishment from so many years ago. To pretend it still didn't cause pain would be ludicrous.

Negan's eyes bore into Dwight's from across the room. "Listen, Orlich. I don't need to explain my reasoning's to you in regards to her. It's not your fucking concern. Your concern is to do what I ask when I ask it. Got it?" Negan said in a low and dangerous voice.

Dwight knew it was almost impossible to deal with an unreasonable person such as Negan. He was a deranged sociopath that was determined to play cat and mouse with the people around him. Sherry was one of those people that he couldn't set loose. It made Dwight sick to his stomach. "Fine." Dwight muttered and started to walk out of his office.

"Hey," Negan called as Dwight froze in mid-step. "When she's back in Sanctuary, things will go back to normal. I don't want you so much as looking in her direction."

Dwight sighed to himself as he forced himself to simply nod his head in agreement. "Fine." Dwight repeated and started to walk out of Negan's house before he could say anything more.

…

Early in the morning, members of Alexandria were called into the church building for a meeting to discuss their next course of action. All prominent members of each community were asked to come while everyone else went about their day. Much to Sherry's surprise, she was invited.

When Deanna and Sherry took their places in the front pew, Deanna leaned over to whisper in Sherry's ear. "For now, you represent Sanctuary. If Negan ever falls out of power, we would like to keep Sanctuary as an alliance for trading." Deanna explained.

Sherry made a face as if to convey how against she was by representing Sanctuary on any kind of platform. But then someone sat next to her as she looked to see who it was and smiled.

"They didn't have a lot of people to choose from when it came to ex-Saviors." Kevin said while Hansen sat beside him.

"I'm glad you're here." Sherry said while she heard Deanna rummaging through her bag. Sherry looked to see what Deanna was doing as she got a tripod and camcorder out.

"It's important to document what happens in meetings. I have decided that it's something for the history books to see how humanity thrived once more in the new world." Deanna stated as she started extending the tripod legs and balancing them on the floor. "We're making history by putting our foot down." She winked to Sherry. "And then one day, your children and your children's children will see how we made the world a better place."

Sherry was about to reply that it was a good idea to record as much that happened but then heard Rick trying to get everyone's attention.

"Alright, listen up!" Rick called as his voice echoed throughout the room. Everyone quieted down and turned their direction towards him as he stood in front of the pulpit that Father Gabriel used for sermons. A red light went on in front of the camcorder as Deanna placed it on top of the tripod and zoomed in on Rick speaking.

"We took a hit." Rick said quietly and looked at everyone. "We told ourselves before war even started that we would be prepared for losses. We weren't. But it's already started. We're all in the thick of it and there is no going back. The wheel is already turning. We want these conversations to keep moving us forward so we make the best decisions for everyone from here on out."

Ezekiel stood up from the front pew as everyone craned their neck to see what he had to say. "With all due respect, Rick. As a leader, I'm supposed to put the needs of my people before anything else. And with what happened yesterday, I'm starting to think that perhaps I didn't make the best choice." He revealed.

"What are you trying to say?" Rick asked while Sherry leaned forward wondering what Ezekiel was getting at.

"Is being taxed worse than lives lost?" Ezekiel pondered at loud for everyone to hear. Silence befell the church as Ezekiel sat down finished with his statement. Sherry understood his confusion. It was easy to think of the easier solution when lives were on the line. It was difficult to think about fighting Negan when it only meant more people were going to risk their lives. It was the reason why she didn't fight him for so many years.

"I beg your pardon, your highness." Paul said standing up near the rest of the people that represented Hilltop. "But we all know that it's more than being taxed. I don't know what the situation was like in the Kingdom but if Hilltop was ever short on supplies, Negan would take a hostage until we met his satisfaction. And if we didn't…" Paul left it there knowing everyone got where he was going with his thought. "It's more than taxes. We're tired of living in fear."

"We already lived in fear before Negan." Rosita pointed out quietly behind Sherry.

Murmurings continued while Sherry even heard people consider raising the white flag of surrender while they still could. Sherry started shaking her head while and glanced at Rick who looked equally frustrated.

"Ezekiel's attack on one of the Saviors outposts was unsuccessful," Rick started while Sherry saw Ezekiel look down to his lap in despair while Michonne put a hand on his shoulder in comfort. "It's obvious that the Saviors are no longer trapped from the inside. And they're organizing some kind of counterattack. That attack will happen here. They're coming for us. And right now we're vulnerable."

A rumble of unease bursted throughout the church as everyone muttered to their neighbors about what Rick had said. Sherry understood that Rick was potentially right. It was something that Negan would do. He didn't take defeat well and all of the communities hit Sanctuary hard. The more Sherry thought of it, the more the building felt like it was getting smaller and smaller.

"What makes you think he's coming here?" Hank, the leader of New Haven, asked.

"Without a doubt, he knows we are the ones who spurred this on. Negan blames me for pushing his authority. He wants to hit our rebellion where it will hurt." Rick clarified. "I just spoke with Eugene and his team just finished a new batch of ammunition. They delivered it this morning so we're well stocked. That gives us an advantage. There's no way they've got people making this stuff. They may have a stockpile but that will run out."

"How much is it?" Maggie asked.

"Couple cases. Their standard batch. I honestly think with the equipment they have, they can't produce it any faster." Rick explained.

"Eugene has been going as fast as he can." Rosita disclosed almost defensively. "He's always there whenever he's not in the thick of a fight."

"His efforts are much appreciated." Deanna said and turned around to look at Rosita with a smile. "Make sure he knows that from all of us, Rosita."

Rosita nodded politely and didn't say anything further.

"Back to the plan." Rick said to invite everyone back into the conversation so they can start planning out tactics. "I want shooters in all of the buildings leading up to the gates. It'll be best for us to keep the fight away from Alexandria for as long as possible. Tara, you can select shooters. You know…" Rick's voice faded away as everyone heard a heavy blast sound across all of Alexandria that in turn shook the church.

"What was that?" Ezekiel demanded while everyone walked sat on the edge of their seat waiting for a follow up noise.

"They're already here." Rick said while Sherry closed her eyes with dread. She never knew if it was her last day of freedom. She hoped that Alexandria could hold out for one more day. She reached for her gun in her holster and told herself that she would at least fight every second she could to help defend Alexandria. But to also defend herself.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

It was like a slap across the face whenever Sherry thought of potentially being face to face with Negan. A cold sweat would make the hair on her arms rise while her heart constricted. It was a thrill met with adrenaline, anger, excitement, and fear.

As much as she wanted to say that she was one hundred percent ready to face him, she would have been lying. The feeling in the pit of her stomach sent her back to when she lived in Sanctuary. Sherry could almost see an image of herself on the edge of a cliff as she was powerless to fight being enveloped within the nightmares that were her past. She could feel herself shake as the people in the church building screamed as another explosion that hit closer and made the windows shatter to the ground.

Sherry felt a hand on her shoulder as she jumped from the being pulled back into reality prematurely. It was Kevin who looked her in the eyes as he knelt down beside her. She looked around and saw that everyone was in the same spot they were in before she had a moment. She began to wonder how much time had passed where she was in a blank stupor.

As if in fog on the other side of a tunnel, she heard Kevin whisper to her in an echo. "Count to ten and let it go." He stressed. Kevin knew about her situation more than anyone else did. He knew she needed the time to take a breather before looking into the eyes of a man who humiliated her beyond repair.

"Eyes on the other side of the wall! Now!" She heard Rick bark but again, it could only be heard as a faint whisper as Sherry started feeling her feet take her outside of the church building.

Sherry shook her head once and decided to count. While she counted, she would allow herself to feel every emotion that her mind told her to feel. Kevin encouraged her before to express her emotions versus suppressing them deep down only for them to rise in an unhealthy way. She didn't know where her mind would take her while counting but Sherry knew her mind needed to unleash what it was thinking. No matter how much she refused to listen.

 _One,_ Sherry thought as the sun hit her face about her while others behind her got out of the church with their weapons at the ready. Then her mind transported her back to Sanctuary.

 _Sherry coughed up blood as she sat next to the toilet in Negan's master bathroom. She gently rested her head on the tub rim next to her for support as she thought she was literally going to die. Sherry heard the resident doctor in Sanctuary speak to Negan in the bedroom talking about her and the possibility of not making it._

" _I don't know what to tell you." The doctor said frantically. "Do you know how many other people have gotten whatever this is? They fall asleep, die, and wake up as walkers. It's a lethal virus whatever it is. She needs to be with the others in the hospital. She can't stay with you!"_

" _Everyone who is in the fucking hospital has fucking died! You are telling me you are doing your goddamn fucking best? Well, try harder!" Negan exclaimed and threw something across the room as Sherry could hear it crash in bits to the ground. Sherry didn't want to die in Sanctuary. As much as she wanted her miserable life to end, it was when she was the closest to dying did she want to hold out for hope that there was eventually going to be something different. It almost hurt her heart to have faith that Negan would only be a memory. Yet, as she sat on the bathroom floor, that wasn't how she wanted to end her life._

" _You keep her here and you'll get the virus, Negan." The doctor said in a final tone. "Please! Just please have her be with the others. You have to accept that she might not live much longer."_

" _Do me a favor and get all the medicine that she'll need. Same with me in case I get it. I want to make her comfortable and get her back on her feet as soon as possible. I…can't bear to fucking see her like this, doc." Negan said as calmly as he could to make the doctor understand that his terms were the final word._

 _There was a long pause as the doctor tried to hold back his tongue and argue with the leader of the Saviors. "I will be back in an hour." The doctor said as Sherry heard quick steps leave the room and head down the stairs._

 _Sherry felt the room start to swirl as she tried to look around the room in a daze. The vertigo got the best of her as she felt herself slipping away from the tub's support to the bathroom floor. She was caught in mid-air as a view of Negan's face was the only thing she could see._

" _You're okay." Negan uttered quietly as he rocked her helpless body back and forth. "You need to get better soon, Sherry. I know you can pull through this."_

 _Sherry closed her eyes while tears threatened their way out._

" _What do you need?" Negan asked. "Do you need anything?"_

 _A sob escaped her throat while her face scrunched up in sorrow. "I don't know." She stammered and another bloody cough followed. She covered her mouth as Negan gently laid her on her side in her coughing fit. She kept her eyes closed as she heard him turn on the shower._

" _Alright. Maybe some hot water can clear your throat. How does that sound?" Negan said as he knelt down beside her with a hand on her shoulder. Sherry opened her eyes to see him looking at her with only concern. She had seen that look a couple of times and it always took her aback. Almost like seeing an old friend instead of the other Negan she saw more frequently._

 _She couldn't deny that a shower would have been nice. It sounded wonderful. The only problem was that_ he _was there. However, she knew the outcome would always be her in the shower whether she said yes or no._

" _Okay." Sherry whispered as to not irritate her throat with another coughing spell._

 _With help from Negan, she got her clothes off and soon was able to sit on the shower floor as she leaned against the cold tile wall. She kept her eyes closed and almost felt relaxed as she was able to breathe the warm humid air in. She put her knees over her chest to cover herself up at the sound of the shower door opening and closing. Soon enough, Negan sat down next to her and put a hand on the side of her face to direct her head to rest on his chest._

 _With both of his arms around her, she felt the same claustrophobic feeling of no escape but instantly started feeling guilty for thinking defensively. He was helping and taking care of her. She forced herself to relax while another cough escaped from her throat. Her body constricted as she tried to fight for air in the fit while Negan only held her tighter almost as his way to keep her body still so her coughing would stop for her sake._

 _Once the cough gave way, she relaxed once more and fell back on his chest in exhaustion as the shower water rained over top of them._

" _You're strong, Sherry." Negan whispered in her ear. "You can fight this. I don't know what I would do without you."_

 _Ten,_ Sherry thought to herself as that memory faded off into the distance. Her subconsciousness knew her better than she knew herself as Sherry understood why that flashback rose to the surface. Her mind made sure that she remembered what had occurred between her and Negan because it was those memoirs that she hated the most. It was where the clash began of black and white intersecting together where things instantly became a confusion of shades that blurred. The line was uneasy to read because she trusted him at one point in time. No matter how much he had hurt her, she couldn't hate him. Only for the glimpses of good that she saw. And it was those same moments that made him betray her trust by forcing himself into a part of her life that she would have rather not have him be.

The moment passed as she was able to remain calm and collected. The confusion subsided as she remembered where she mentally needed to be for the next several hours while defending Alexandria. The memory was a perfect mesh of a beautiful disaster. No longer did she want it to disorient her view of him. She could only try and pull his glue-like control away from her. As the group of communities approached the fence and she saw him standing on top of a truck, she knew it was time to face the devil himself as she kept one hand on her gun.

Sherry glanced around at all the people on her side of the fence. They looked to all be reacting the same way that she was. Mostly, they were anxious and afraid. Alexandria was a beautiful place and it became a symbol of fortitude for whoever was fortunate enough to stumble upon it. This was their third confrontation with the Saviors barreling at their front door and Sherry hoped it wasn't the day Alexandria fell.

As Negan stood on top of the truck with Lucille in hand, it appeared that he brought each and every single one of his men along for the ride. Sherry glanced at every man as they appeared to be angry that Alexandria had attacked and killed a lot of their people only the day before. The people that stood before her were furious and armed to the teeth. She looked around with worry as she couldn't see Dwight anywhere in sight.

Sherry watched as Negan's eyes watched Rick and then turned his head slightly to gaze directly towards her. He winked in her direction as Sherry immediately felt her stomach turn with a mixture of disgust and dread. He saw her look of discomfort and smiled as he stared at Rick once more.

 _Be strong, Sherry,_ she thought to herself as she saw more people on Alexandria's side stand at a safe distance away from the gate. The strain in the air was indisputable. Sherry could see the look in Negan's eyes and see past the façade of keeping it cool. Underneath the confidence, Sherry could tell he was incensed. That fact only made it more terrifying as she also noticed five grenades hanging from his belt. He was ready to play hard ball.

"Don't act like this is a fucking surprise." Negan huffed as a smile crept upon his face while fixing his eyes on Rick. "Now would be the best time to be the bigger person, Rick. Anything you want to apologize for? Something you have to tell me?"

Rick didn't say a word and only glared at Negan. Rick stood alone at the front gate as everyone else kept their distance. Sherry looked at all the houses and saw Carol was already telling people to leave their homes if they lived close to the front entrance. Daryl walked up next to Sherry with a bolt drawn at the ready. Sherry cocked her gun upon noticing how quickly the standoff could change into a full blown shoot-out.

When another minute passed of no words exchanged, Negan scoffed at Rick's stubbornness. "No? Nothing?" Negan taunted. "What if I up the stakes a bit? Then will you talk?"

He whistled a signal as two people emerged from the back of the truck. One person was Dwight who held a captive by the collar with their face covered by a burlap sack. Sherry recognized the clothes. It was Sasha. Dwight guided Sasha next to the truck as he limped slightly with every step. Dwight and Rick locked glances as Dwight's face wore a tight line. He was unhappy about something. Rightfully so. He disliked the situation as much as everyone else did on Alexandria's side of the fence.

"You miss this one, Rick?" Negan pressed while swinging Lucille playfully in front of Sasha's covered face. Rick still didn't say anything but Sherry could visually see his demeanor change with the way he stood. He was pegged against a rock and a hard place. Sherry knew Negan was great at pushing people's buttons. Nearly every Alexandrian wasn't going to stand upon Sasha being a hostage any longer than she had to be.

"Well, do you want her back or not?" Negan asked while climbing off the truck and standing beside Sasha who was fidgeting on the brink of thrashing. He put one arm around Sasha's neck as she started fighting him off of her. Sherry took one step forward but froze knowing any intervention on her part wouldn't be fruitful.

"Let her go! I'll open the gate. Once she's safely inside, then we can talk." Rick relented sharply to indicate how uncomfortable he was at Sasha being in close proximity to Negan.

"Somethin' ain't right." Daryl muttered beside Sherry while shaking his head. "Gotta be drugged or somethin' worse."

"Something worse?" Sherry repeated and looked to him with worry. Daryl just watched how Sasha's body moved unsteadily as Sherry picked up on his trepidation. Sasha wasn't the kind of person to act as erratic as she was being in that moment. It was a possibility that the Saviors did something to make her not think clearly so they had all the advantage in the world.

Negan nodded to Dwight. "You heard the man. Let her go." He commanded as Dwight gave a look of apology towards all the Alexandrians that whatever was going to happen was beyond his control. He let Sasha go as she started walking clumsily forward with the sack still covering her face.

Rick walked towards the gate to slide it open as he started directing Sasha where she needed to walk. "Follow my voice!" Rick instructed as Sasha's head tilted towards Rick by the noise. There was muffled grunting behind the sack as they all stared in awe at Sasha's awkwardness.

"Did you drug her? What did you do?" Rick asked angrily.

"Does it matter? Sue me if I did!" Negan scoffed. "She's here. She's safe and sound. Take the peace offering and stop fucking complaining."

"Denise," Rick called to their doctor as Sasha made her way inside Alexandria passing the gate. Daryl and Sherry each stepped to the side and let her walk past them towards Denise.

"I'll take her right to the infirmary." Denise replied with genuine concern and reached out towards Sasha. "You're safe now." She soothed. Tara gave a skeptical look as Sasha and Denise started stumbling away and then looked back at the Saviors at the gate.

"Okay, Negan. Let's talk." Rick said calmly.

"Let's definitely have that talk." Negan answered back. "You knocked down our gate and killed almost one hundred of our men. You attack a bunch of poor and hungry guys, they will be pissed enough to fight back. Not a smart move on your part. I told you that if you don't follow our rules that we would end you and everyone else stupid enough to follow you. Today I have come to prove how fucking serious that threat was."

The whole time Negan was speaking, Sherry tried to preoccupy herself with something other than his voice so she didn't drown in her own trauma attack. She kept her focus on the Saviors behind him and Dwight. Then she noticed something peculiar. All the men looked to be waiting with weapons at the ready. She could have assumed that they were waiting for Negan to say or do something as part of a signal but then noticed that his men weren't even looking at him. She followed their eye line and saw they were all watching Sasha. Something _was_ wrong.

Negan continued to yammer on to Rick about how his unwillingness lead to their doom but Sherry only watched Sasha who was still nearly tripping over herself as Denise had a difficult time navigating her to the infirmary.

"I would prefer everyone seeing you and what you consider your family to suffer for what you did." Negan stated. Even his eyes were on Sasha as they waited.

"What did they do to you?" Denise asked as she guided Sasha. "Let's get this bag off your head, okay?"

Sherry glanced towards Negan and back to Sasha with dread. As Denise pulled the bag off Sasha's head, Sherry saw that Sasha wasn't herself anymore. Her stumbling wasn't the effect of being drugged. It _was_ something worse. Sasha moved quickly as Sherry could no longer see her face as she violently grabbed Denise's arm and sunk her teeth into the flesh. Sherry heard Tara and Denise scream in unison as Sherry lifted her gun up to shoot the walker that was only a shell of what Sasha used to be. She took the shot as the walker crumpled to the ground in a heap immediately ending its reanimated life.

Denise looked at her arm in shock and stumbled to her knees in distress at what had just happened in the last ten seconds. The atmosphere changed from tension to full on conflict as Sherry heard Negan yell one word as it echoed throughout Alexandria before things started to kick into effect.

"Attack!" Negan yelled at his men and started backing away from the fence keeping his sights on Sherry. Rick who was already on his way to aide Denise pushed Sherry down to the ground while bullets started flying. Deanna closed the tarp portion of the fence to at least blind the Saviors from seeing where they all were. The bullets stopped as Sherry heard Negan demanding his men with new instructions that he seemed sadistically enthusiastic about. Sherry hoped that would buy them enough time to clear away from the front entrance as she remembered what hang from Negan's belt.

Sherry crawled over to Denise with Rick close to her side. She stopped and saw Sasha's body lay still in the ground with her face downwards. Reality started setting in as Sherry had to comprehend that Sasha was gone. It was almost unfair in the situation that she felt the people of Alexandria were robbed of their time to mourn for their friend. Instead, Sherry could only hear Tara cry for another depressing reason.

"Oh my god! Denise!" Tara wailed and looked at her girlfriend's arm in immediate despair. "Oh my god!"

Rick stepped over towards Denise as she stared at her arm in a daze. "I need something to take her arm off right now!" Rick hollered to anyone who is listening.

Carol, who stood close by, got her knife out to hand to Rick as another explosion hit fifteen feet away from them to their left. Sherry ducked low as the after effects continued to shake the ground below them and dirt picked up around them. She felt someone land close by but kept her head down until the danger passed. But it was impossible to gauge when it was safe. Everything seemed very precarious as she could only hear one grenade land after another. It had only been thirty seconds and she had already started to lose count on how many grenades that had made impact on Alexandrian soil. The people around her started to yell in turmoil and pain. Negan wasn't joking on his threat towards Rick. He had every intention of killing whomever was on his side of the fence.

"Rick! We gotta move!" Daryl said crouched next to Sherry as she realized that he was the one who fell right next to her. Sherry looked around her to see who needed help first. She could hear so many agonizing voices throughout the air. It was already getting difficult to focus on one particular thing.

"Agh!" Someone yelled once the air cleared. Sherry looked around in the confusion of people running every which way but then saw Heath lying on the ground staring at the sky. She looked around him as the concrete beneath him was stained with black from the fiery blast and fragments of clothes and body tissue. Her eyes looked to Heath to examine him and saw that his leg was completely blown to bits. What was left of it, laid all around him with a mix of another Alexandrian who Sherry couldn't even recognize that reached a fatal end.

Sherry could feel herself gag but crawled on her hands and knees towards Heath regardless. Her heartbeat sounded almost as loud as the ear-piercing noise that surrounded her. When she knelt above Heath, he didn't even respond to her as he continued to lay down in shock.

Sherry got off her knees and started tugging at Heath's arm to drag him away from the fence. "We need to get him out of here!" She yelled to whoever was close enough to hear her. She saw Daryl rush towards them as he lifted Heath up to at least stand on the only foot he had left. Heath shouted from the pain as both Daryl and Sherry situated his arms over their shoulders to hold him up. Blood dropped effortlessly behind them as they sauntered behind the others towards the infirmary.

…

Dwight kept himself preoccupied by yelling orders at other Saviors to follow him in a truck to another side of the Alexandrian gates. He had hopes that it would distract whoever he asked to come with him to stop throwing grenades over to the other side. A sickening feeling came over him to wonder if Sherry was still alive. He watched as many of the men threw one grenade right after another. There wasn't a moment's pause without hearing the vociferous roars of flames igniting inside the gates of Alexandria.

Something had to be done. He couldn't watch helplessly while all the communities were obliterated before his eyes. Double agent or not, Rick trusted him to do everything he could to wreak havoc internally. With the worry of Sherry and the others, he had no problem letting his anger take over and do just that.

"You brought this on yourself, Rick!" Negan yelled as he hurled another grenade over the fence. "I was willing to work with you and all you had to do was follow the fucking rules! Now I see that you've got to fucking go!"

Negan looked to Dwight with a deranged smile that bordered on wildly entertained and sadistic. "Surround this place and keep tossing these babies in until there is nothing left! We're going to burn this place to the fucking ground!" Negan took a clip off another grenade and threw it high over the fence as it landed in the far distance. He laughed as he heard it go off in the distance. "Bombs away, motherfuckers!"

Negan snickered once more and nodded to the man behind him. "This is so fucking awesome! Fuck! Give me another one!" He exclaimed as if he was a kid in a candy store.

Dwight started shuffling towards his truck and nodded towards the men that he rallied to join up with him on the other side. "Let's move on out!" He yelled and got in the driver's seat while two other Saviors joined him in the cab while the others started jumping enthusiastically into the back of the truck. Dwight mentally counted the men out and nodded to himself as he put the keys into the ignition. He let his anger flow through him as he started driving to the other side of Alexandria. If Sherry was dead or hurt in any way, there would be hell to pay.

…

Everything in Alexandria was in disarray as they all started fanning out towards the middle of Alexandria to be as safe as they possibly could under the circumstances. Daryl and Sherry helped carry Heath as he continued to scream out in agony. Sherry was running on pure adrenaline as her body refused to read how exhausted she felt carrying half of Heath's weight while Daryl carried the other half. Heath himself had no energy to give. Sherry couldn't help but notice the trail of blood they left behind them. If Denise was unable to do anything with her arm, Heath was already a dead man.

Rick and Tara helped assist Denise as they ran close by. As they finally made their way towards their makeshift hospital, Carl stepped outside the entrance with an assault rifle at the ready. Rick looked ahead of him to see Carl standing there with panic in his eyes. "Where's Judith?!" He demanded.

"She's at hospital!" Carl answered hurriedly. "Along with the other kids! It's the safest place!"

"Get Heath to the hospital as well!" Denise instructed loudly to be heard over the noises around them. "I can stop the bleeding!"

"No!" Tara protested. "Your arm! We need to amputate it now!"

Denise stared at her in despair while it was evident by the screams that were muted within burning houses around them that Heath wouldn't be the only patient. There was no way that Terri could do it all by herself along with Yolanda who was only in training. They needed to expect that the losses would be extreme. And they needed all the help they could get. "I'm the _only_ one who could save him! And I need _both_ arms to do it! It's probably too late for me anyways!" Denise stressed.

An explosion hit behind them as Sherry jumped. It was close by but not enough where it did any harm towards anyone. She didn't hear any screams that followed which was a good sign. Even being in the middle of Alexandria still was dangerous. If any of the Saviors had a good throwing arm, they were bound to hit around or at the hospital. She only hoped that they wouldn't.

"I'm sorry." Denise said sadly towards Tara as she gazed at her sadly with longing.

"I'm not going to make it." Heath whispered as his face hung low. Sherry almost didn't hear it above everything else but nudged him in support.

"Stop!" Sherry said. "You'll make it, Heath. Don't talk like that."

Kevin walked up to them and reached for Heath's shoulder to replace Sherry. "You are a better shot than I am. They need you." He said firmly. "Hansen and I will take him the rest of the way."

The older man from Sanctuary took Daryl's place as they both watched the two hobble slowly towards the hospital with Heath's one leg dragging in between them.

With Heath take care of, Sherry looked around as grenades were _still_ being thrown over as if they were as expendable as snowballs or water balloons. She knew Sanctuary had a good supply of weapons but now knew Negan must have raided the entire area of Washington D.C. Every grenade found within the vicinity was now being used against Alexandria. The more that she looked around, the more overwhelmed she started to feel. There were so many places that needed their aide at one time that she didn't know where to start.

"My friends…" Sherry said to herself as she remembered all of her friends standing a safe distance around the fence when the confrontation began. A moment of panic befell her. She needed to find and take them to safety. Panic started to take over without any sense of control as she feared the worst.

Sherry turned to Daryl in alarm. "Did you see any of my friends from Sanctuary?" She asked frantically.

He shook his head as Sherry was quick on her feet to walk towards the fence once more to look for them herself. She passed a man who held his chest as blood seeped through his fingertips. She grabbed his arm gently as she sought after any kind of information or clue that could help her. "Have you seen the new people from Sanctuary?" She asked. The man only continued to walk towards the infirmary as Sherry stopped and looked towards the entrance. She couldn't see it clearly, as a house blocked her sight. When she carried Heath back to the hospital, her only thought process was to get out of the area as quickly as her feet could take her. What if her friends were still around the entrance and laid dying?

"Hey!" She heard Daryl yell behind her while her feet carried her towards the entrance with worry.

Sherry continued to walk towards the gate but then felt someone grab her arm harshly and pull her back. She turned around to see Daryl's crossbow strapped to his back as he started tugging her away from the gate. She reached for his arm with her other hand to loosen his grip. "Let me go!" She shouted fiercely.

"You gotta death wish or are you just blind?" Daryl questioned with an equal amount of indignation that matched hers.

"My friends need me!" Sherry yelled. "The last place I saw them was over by the fence! What if they are dying?"

"Can't you tell that's where all them grenades are coming from?" Daryl fired back. "I jus' seen four of 'em come from behind the wall! I know you wanna help your friends, but what good are you if you're blown to bits before you can even reach 'em? C'mon now!"

Just then, an explosion hit closer than any other grenade had before as it sent Sherry tumbling forward onto her stomach and Daryl onto his back beside her. The air was scorching for a brief moment but the heat still lingered from the blast of the grenade. Sherry could only hear a loud ringing in her ear as she laid on the ground and felt Daryl tug on the back of her jacket lifting her up on her feet. While the ringing was ever present, she quickly ran away from the fence and back near the infirmary.

Physically, she was sprinting for her life but mentally, she could only think of how close she would have been to dead. It was only made clear how fortunate they were when she saw Daryl's face marred with fresh cuts and black ash that blotched his face and arms. Sherry looked down to her own hands to see they were covered with soot. She couldn't feel her face with the adrenaline so she touched her cheek to feel if she had any cuts herself. When she brought her hand down to see, blood was on her fingertips.

"Oh, shit." Sherry muttered to herself and quickly grabbed for the fence in front of the infirmary. She tried to fight for breath but she couldn't get it soon enough. She looked to Daryl apologetically. "I'm sorry. You almost died because I was being stupid. I'm so sorry." She kept on repeating it as she tried to get control of herself. She wrapped her arms around herself and tried to regain control. People needed help. Her friends needed help. Even though, the atmosphere was dire, she was still alive and able to fight. Tears fell as the feeling of overwhelming didn't stop and only increased.

Sherry locked in on some control as she tried to focus on one thing at a time. Houses. Many homes were on fire. Even though the infirmary wasn't exempt from danger, it was the house in the middle where throwing a grenade would be less likely to hit it. Whoever needed help, needed to be as close to the heart of Alexandria as possible. She didn't know where her sisters were. She could only hope that they were okay. But without knowing their exact location, she would be wasting time trying to find them. Meanwhile, there were people that needed her help.

"We need to get as many people near here as we can!" Sherry said.

Daryl took a couple of breaths to regroup his own nerves that were rattled but nodded in agreement. "I'll take houses east of here and you take west." He suggested.

Sherry looked to the houses west and started walking towards the first home on fire but felt herself limping. Her knees stung as she could imagine that she skidded towards the gravel from the grenade impact only moments before. "Okay." She said in an already drained voice.

"Be careful out there." Daryl said and started running to the houses on the other side.

"Okay." She muttered and kept on walking. _Be strong,_ She thought to herself.

…

Once the grenades started descending upon them, everyone started running every which way. Christy lost track of all of her friends at the very beginning as people collided into each other in the confusion. She was even pushed to the ground as someone tried to find their own way to safety.

She remembered that Sherry was near the front entrance with the rest of the leaders. She didn't dare see if they made it out alive. Christy swallowed a lump in her throat at the thought that Sherry could be dead. She tried to burn that thought out of her mind and focus on getting to safety.

Suddenly, someone tripped over her in their hurry as Christy got a good kick to the gut with the action. The person who stumbled over her, fell to the ground beside her while Christy quickly got up on her feet so it wouldn't happen again.

"Are you okay?" She asked loudly. She then recognized the person as the teenager who was held hostage in Sanctuary for a short period of time. He quickly turned over and got to his feet and picked up his hat from the ground to put it back firmly on his head. A part of his bandage over his eye fell off as he hurriedly put it back in place not before Christy saw the absence of his right eye.

"Yeah. I'm fine." He said but glanced at her with brief concern. "Are you?"

Christy nodded and watched the teenager's mind think. "We need to get people to this hospital." He said and started walking.

Christy followed him unsure whether she could trust the boy to be by himself or if he needed some help. More so, she knew she wouldn't forgive herself if she left him alone to die. "It's not safe out here. Don't your parents want you to be at the hospital too?" She asked while still following him.

The teenager looked back at her with uneasiness. "My dad took off to help others and wanted me by his side. I lost him when a grenade hit. I need to find him." He stressed but continued to walk.

"Okay, we'll find him together!" Christy declared. "Let's just keep helping others along the way, alright?" Carl stopped and looked at her with apprehension as she gazed back towards him with pleading eyes.

"Please?" Christy asked. "Maybe we'll run into your dad or mom while we take care of others? Please? I don't want you to go wandering off all by yourself without someone knowing if you're all right or not."

The boy looked to be weighing his options as he stared at the surroundings. Looking for anyone in particular would prove to be futile as everyone continued to go about their frantic business. He took a deep breath and nodded. "Fine." He grumbled as they both walked away together.

…

Sherry took an older woman to the infirmary who had a deep gash around her collar bone. Whatever hit her house, sent a sharp object spiraling towards her as it made impact with skin. The woman groaned as she held her hand to her chest in pain while Sherry practically carried her up the stairs into the infirmary. "Do we have another cot for her to lay on?" Sherry called out for whoever was listening.

Yolanda was the closest helper as she took the older woman to help support her while Sherry looked around the crowded house at all the injured community members. From the looks of it, she couldn't see any space where the woman could even sit comfortably.

"We'll find something." Yolanda said in a beaten down voice. With Denise working on all the severe injuries, Terri working to keep the moderately wounded comfortable, and Yolanda trying to hold everyone together in between, they were vastly outnumbered by the growing number of patients. Jenna, Kevin, and Hansen were helping to assist wherever they could but Jenna was also keeping young children entertained in the basement of the house. Sherry was still unsure of how many more people were still outside the infirmary that needed assistance.

"I'll try and find people to help out around here!" Sherry said as she started leaving the infirmary.

"We need blood transfusions for the ones that Denise is working on!" Yolanda instructed. "Just anyone who knows what their blood type is!"

"Okay!" Sherry called back as she headed out the door once more and onto the battlefield that used to be Alexandria. Grenades still fell but less frequently. Sherry hoped that was a sign that the Saviors were running out of them and were only using what they had left for tactical targets.

"Sherry!" She heard Rick yell. He ran up to her as she walked into another house on fire and followed her inside. "Have you seen Carl?" He asked.

"No!" She responded and quickly scoped around the house to the best of her ability. "Does anyone live in this house?"

"No!" Rick answered but continued to scan the house just in case someone decided to hide out during all the commotion. "We're almost done with getting people to the infirmary! In ten minutes, we need to start rallying everyone there so we can start forming plans for a counter attack!"

"Ten minutes?" Sherry asked as they both turned on their heels to leave the house after knowing for sure it was empty. "I'll try and be there."

"If you're not?" Rick asked as he started jogging another direction that she was.

"Then I'm dead!" Sherry answered back and started walking towards the infirmary again to check and see if she saw any of her friends. When she got there, she saw people sitting on the lawn next to the house in shambles with various cloths pressed to whatever injuries they had. Denise and Tara's home was completely full of people on the inside and outside. As she scanned the faces of the people on the lawn, she didn't see any of her friends in sight.

"Sherry?" Someone said behind her. She turned around to see Megan standing there with towels in hand and her red hair disheveled from the braid that she tried to keep it contained in. Sherry hurriedly gave her a hug as Megan embraced her back tightly. Megan broke off the hug hastily and looked to Sherry with concern. "You look like you just got hit with one of those things! Sherry, are you okay?" She asked.

"I almost got hit but I'm fine, I think." Sherry said looking down at her clothes. "Where is everyone else? Did you see the other girls?"

Megan looked up towards the sky and shook her head as tears erupted. "I lost them." She expressed sadly as a few whimpers escaped. "I don't know what happened after everything went down."

"It's okay." Sherry sighed as she gazed her surroundings once more to see all the faces staring blankly with shock written on their face. "Are you staying here to help?"

Megan held the towels up with a nod and started walking towards people who sat on the grass as she passed them out to those who had open lacerations. "This all we can do right now until the ones with the worst critical injuries taken care of. We are just trying to make everyone comfortable."

"This is exactly where I need you to be right now." Sherry said as she started making her last round throughout Alexandria. "I will be back soon!"

…

"Carl!" Christy heard someone shout as the teenager's face perked up from the noise. They walked towards the calls as the rounded a house as Christy saw the leader running towards them.

When Rick walked up to his son, he scanned every detail of the teenager to see if he was hurt. When Rick saw that Carl was unharmed, he looked him in the eyes with intense eyes while Christy watched their interaction from a distance. "Are you okay?" Rick asked.

"Yeah." Carl replied with a shrug as if it was another ordinary day. He then turned his attention to Christy and nodded towards her. "We cleared all the houses over on the north side. Everyone who is alive, is at the hospital."

Rick glimpsed at Christy and did a double take as she pretended to view around them feeling unnerved by the scrutiny. She didn't understand why but she felt slightly intimidated by Rick. He seemed like a nice person but knew her past experience with leaders of communities were enough to taint the view of everyone else. Yet it wasn't fear she felt in regards to him. She only thought it best to keep her distance for the time being.

"Thanks for keeping Carl safe for me." Rick said sincerely as he put a hand his son's shoulder. "Have you been hurt?"

Christy shook her head. "What do you need me to do now?" She asked.

"Barbara, is it?" Rick asked as he tried to recollect her name.

Christy gave him a confused look but then remembered that she made a conscious decision to change her identity upon leaving Sanctuary. "Yeah." She responded.

"They need people to donate blood at the hospital. If you know your blood type…" Rick started to explain but Christy cut him off.

"I have a universal blood type." Christy said as she started heading towards the infirmary. "I will help where I am needed." She left without another word as she could feel Rick's eyes on her as Carl conversed with him. Christy refused to make eye contact with him and instead continued her quick pace to the home where she saw almost everyone crowding around.

…

"Sherry!" Someone yelled which was immediately followed by screams. Sherry walked towards the voice as she saw it was Amber. Amber was in hysterics as she knelt on the ground looking completely lost. Sherry could see a grenade had hit nearby Amber as blood and dirt was splattered everywhere.

"Amber!" Sherry screamed in terror worried that Amber was in need of help and couldn't walk towards the hospital. Sherry reached Amber as she continued to cry and point at the blood splatter. "What happened?" Sherry demanded while picking up Amber's arm in search for wounds. "Are you hurt?"

Amber pointed as Sherry slowly scanned who the grenade hit with more purpose. She saw blonde hair mixed with splotches of red but didn't see much else as the body was nearly diminished from the grenade that hit it. Sherry's eyes started welling up with tears. She couldn't tell if it was Lauren or Christy. Whoever it was, was long gone.

"Who?" Sherry asked softly but so loud enough so Amber could hear.

"Lauren." Amber answered and then continued to cry. "What in the hell do we do?!"

Sherry physically hit the side of her head to snap her out of mourning and to focus on what needed to happen. With all the misery surrounding her, she needed to try and help keep fatalities down to a minimum. She took Amber's face to make her look her straight in the eye.

"You either go to the hospital and help the nurses or stay out here and help. We're going to fight back soon. You have those two options, okay?" Sherry relayed the information strictly. Amber nodded and looked around as if to weigh her options. "Where's Christy?" Sherry asked. "Where's Ashlyn?"

"I lost them." Amber said and took a deep breath. "I'll help fight."

"Then make sure you don't get someone killed while you are at it." Sherry said and handed her the gun she had been using herself. "Get everything under control and follow Rick to hear what plans he has for everyone to do! Okay? Follow me!"

Amber did so as Sherry started walking towards the infirmary unable to take the image from her mind of one of her friends that perished in the most brutal way possible. However, she was robbed of her time to mourn like most of the people in Alexandria as they all had to keep their focus on staying alive and not letting Negan completely annihilate the remainder of the survivors.

When they got to the hospital, Sherry could see Megan and Christy standing next to each other as Amber and Sherry ran up to them with sweet relief written on each of their faces. They hugged each other while more people started walking towards the house and finding their own friends who were still alive.

"Have you seen Ashlyn?" Sherry asked all of them.

They each shook their heads. "Deanna is nowhere to be found either." Megan said gloomily.

"Listen up!" Rick shouted to be heard over the noise of people speaking to each other fearfully as he stood up on the porch of the infirmary. "Trucks are being heard on all sides. We have no escape route. We're trapped." Rick stated heavily. "We need eyes over the wall with whoever is able to fight. I know that number is small but we still need to get ourselves out of this! Next we need to try and push the fight back towards the front to create a distraction. Once all of the Saviors are back near the front, we can start taking all of our fighters over the fence to try and surround the Saviors. Like I said, we'll need as many people as we can. If you have ever shot a weapon before, we need you right now so we can pull through! With that said, everyone grab a gun and some ammunition. We're going to make this madness stop right now!"

Everyone instantaneously fell away as Sherry walked towards the house where the guns were stored. She was stopped suddenly by Carl who handed her an assault rifle with another one for him. Rick followed close behind and looked at her. "I know you are a decent shot with one of these. I need you somewhere."

Sherry scrunched up her eyebrows in question as he merely pointed towards the east of Alexandria. She turned around and saw what he was looking at. It was the watch tower. She glanced back at Rick with dread but then took a deep breath as she stared at the ground. "Okay." Sherry said begrudgingly as she followed Rick and Carl towards the watch tower which could have benefitted Alexandria's aide or could easily be her final resting place.

"Be strong," Sherry uttered to herself. It was constant thing she had to tell herself throughout the whole ordeal. She took a deep breath once more and braced herself for what could happen in her near future.


	9. Chapter 9

**AUTHOR'S NOTE – I'm back (wink). Sorry I haven't written another chapter in two months. That's so long to go without reading the other half of Cruel World. We moved though so I feel like that was a good enough excuse. Anyways, I love you all! Thanks for your patience and without further ado, here is chapter 9 of Cruel World.**

Chapter 9

The last month had been nothing more than miserable for Ashlyn as she felt that being under fiery rain was the icing on the metaphorical cake. It was difficult for her to understand whether or not she had replaced her life in Sanctuary for an even worse end in Alexandria. She could have stayed in Sanctuary and had her life taken away by Negan. If he found out that Sherry was the one who smuggled his wives out and she was one of the only ones left, he would have killed her out of spite. He didn't care about Ashlyn the same way that he garnered affection for Sherry. That outcome sounded preferable than where she was at that moment.

Ashlyn found a place to hide underneath a porch. Granted, it wasn't the safest place to seek shelter but it was the closest thing that she could find. When things started going awry, people began to run in opposite directions which pushed her away from her friends. She immediately felt surrounded by danger and looked for a place to ride the whole thing out while the world seemed to set fire around her.

She contemplated if it was better to die where she laid or try and fight. She didn't even know if there were others fighting back or if they were all just being picked off one by one. For all she knew, her friends were already too far gone and succumbed to the grenades that seemed to fall on top of them like candy being thrown at a parade. Ashlyn even wondered if she _wanted_ to step out from the porch and find a safer place to be. She already felt her life was doomed when she saw the two lines on the pregnancy test. She had been told by the several people that she confided in that they would take care of her. Ashlyn didn't want to be a burden to them. Ashlyn thought it could have been better for everyone if she just waited for a grenade to fall right on top of her. _Amanda wouldn't have wanted that for you,_ a voice expressed in her head. She ignored it and remained underneath the porch to await her inevitable fate.

Just then, she heard a groan from outside of her hiding spot. Ashlyn speculated if the fence had been broken through and worried that walkers were also a threat among other things but then she reasoned that the moans sounded more human and less of a monstrous snarl. Whoever she heard was in obvious pain and also in imminent danger. Ashlyn couldn't, in good conscience, let someone die when she was fully able to help. So far, she had remained unscathed from the grenades and wondered if she was one of the few.

"What if I'm the only person who can help?"Ashlyn thought out loud. Many times in her past she called herself a coward. She wasn't a fighter and didn't have the personality to think on her feet like others did. Yet someone on the other side of the porch needed her assistance.

Mustering all the courage that she had, she rolled out from underneath the porch and followed the sound of whimpers. She was very close to the wall where the grenades came from and was surprised she could hear any kind of moan with all the explosions surrounding her. Then she saw the source which leaned against the wall. The battered woman laid on the ground gripping her side in clear distress while Ashlyn put a hand to her face. Recognition started to settle in as she could feel the anguish in the pit of her stomach.

"Deanna?" Ashlyn called as she ran up to the small woman.

An explosion erupted to her right while she screamed and ducked for cover. Her eyes clenched shut and her teeth grinded together as she prayed inwardly that she wouldn't get blasted to bits. Several seconds passed without her feeling any pain. When she felt it was safe enough to move again, she noticed that the grenade that hit was more than twenty feet away. It still sent shivers down her spine that a grenade made that much noise and wasn't even close to hitting her. She didn't want to be one of the unlucky ones who made direct impact with the horrendous devices.

The moment she thought of all the carnage, smoke cleared and showed an enormous and incredible view of several Alexandrians that were too far gone. They laid in the dirt with peaceful faces. Some had eyes open; others had their eyes closed. Her senses seemed to be ignited into the supernatural as she became hyper aware of everything. The people that littered the ground, the terrible smell of burning flesh combined with burning wood from homes, and the screams of the people who were still alive but displaced in what used to be their home. Their sanctuary. Ashlyn could have cried at all the lives that were lost. All because of a man who liked to have all the control. She absentmindedly felt her stomach but treaded towards the fallen Deanna once more.

When Ashlyn reached her, she saw a metal piece of shrapnel protruding from Deanna's stomach. Immediately, Ashlyn wanted to run the other direction out of faintheartedness but stayed with her regardless. "Deanna? It's Ashlyn… I moved into your house yesterday." Ashlyn reminded as she hardly knew the older woman.

Deanna smirked and opened her eyes. "I remember you. I've always been good with names." She uttered quietly and then started coughing. Deanna covered her mouth as Ashlyn surveyed her wound with worry. When she looked back up to Deanna's face, she saw that she had spit out blood.

"Where's the hospital from here? We need to take you there." Ashlyn urged but was unsure how to go about taking Deanna there. She wasn't even confident that Deanna could walk in her condition.

Deanna shook her head vigorously in protest. "I won't make it." She countered gently. "But _you_ need to leave."

Ashlyn felt herself shaking her head. "What about you? I can't leave you to be all by yourself." Ashlyn declared with less confidence as the sounds of grenades continued in the background.

Deanna's face whitened more by the second as she reached for Ashlyn's arm in comfort. "I'm not going to make it." Deanna argued with a smile. "But if we ever get out of this mess, you at least have the chance to see the new and better future. You're young and have a life. So few of us are as lucky as you."

Ashlyn felt ashamed as she looked away. "I don't feel that lucky." She confessed. "What kind of future is there that is any good?"

"It's not the present that should prepare you for the future; or the past. It's the potential." Deanna remarked with a soft spoken voice. Yet Ashlyn zeroed in on what she said as it reverberated within her. "There's always good that comes from something catastrophic."

Ashlyn could have left. But she felt dreadfully guilty at the idea of leaving Deanna all by herself. "I don't want to leave you." Ashlyn said firmly and looked around. With all the warfare around them, it would have been a miracle if even she made it back to the heart of Alexandria without being killed. Ashlyn took a deep breath as she pondered if that day was her last day of living. The idea didn't bother her but it filled her with more unease than she thought it would. A doomed life or not, she wanted to see if her future had the potential to be better than she assumed. "I'll take my chances waiting next to you." Ashlyn decided as she made herself comfortable by Deanna's side and held the woman's hand tightly.

There they waited for the inevitable. Whether they lived or died, they both seemed prepared for either outcome. Ashlyn closed her eyes tightly as she tried to drown out the screams and explosions. If it was her time, she would be happy to see several faces in her past that have moved on. _I can't wait to see you, Amanda,_ Ashlyn thought and kept holding Deanna's hand for support in their dire situation.

…

Christy wandered into the infirmary as the sounds of panic became more enclosed inside the small front room. People from each community were sitting on floors, couches, and cots as they sobbed for the loss of life or for the wounds they had to withstand just for little longer while the nurses and one doctor were overwhelmed with all of the patients they had.

Despite the noise, she could almost hear herself breathing and could feel a chill take over her arms and legs. Never once had she been in the middle of something so intense and terrifying. Intimately, she knew the threat Negan posed on a personal scale. As she looked around the room full of people with open injuries and broken hearts, she saw that Negan was an even greater danger than she imagined. To get out of the daze she felt, she remembered why she walked into the hospital. The battered crowd and the nurses alike needed her help. She _needed_ to be present for them.

"You!" Christy heard and snapped out of her trance to see a woman with short dark hair race past her with bandages and other tools in hand. "Are you hurt? Do you need help?" The woman asked as she quickly glanced to Christy but then went back to her business while waiting for an answer.

Christy shook her head while the woman tended to a man who was wailing on top of a cot in the corner of the room. "Are you here to help out?" She asked and again looked up to Christy hastily while tucking her hair behind her ears as she continued to walk from patient to patient in a hurry to keep them all content under the circumstances.

"Yes. Whatever you need, I will do my best." Christy insisted as the screams of pain became more of a determination for her to try and take all the hurt away so things could be peaceful once more.

"Perfect!" The woman looked to another room and then turned her attention back to Christy. "Would you happen to know what your blood type is?"

"Um, my blood type is 'O-.'" Christy answered hoping that would provide the answer that the woman needed. Suddenly a grenade went off in the backyard as everyone in the house started screaming in terror for their lives. Christy covered her ears at the noise but forced herself to stay focused.

The woman ran to the back door quickly and then put a hand over her heart in relief. "I don't think anyone was back there." She announced as she went about her business. Then Christy's response finally clicked as she looked up to her with a refreshed shock.

"Universal blood donor?" The woman exclaimed as almost happy tears erupted from her eyes. "You need to come with me now! What's your name?"

"Ch—Barbara." Christy said as the woman marched to another room that Christy assumed they used for the major injuries. "What's yours?"

"Tara." She responded and opened the door to the room. Christy walked in to see the doctor hard at work with sweat rolling down her face while she operated on a man who was missing a leg. Christy gasped at the sight but continued her step with perseverance. If they needed her in that room, then that was exactly where she told herself she wanted to be.

"She's a universal blood donor!" Tara said loudly to Denise.

Denise's head shot up quickly to have a look at Christy but then focused on the man once again. "Get Terri in here so she can start a blood transfusion!" Denise instructed politely but sternly as Tara quickly jogged out of the room to do what was requested.

"If you don't mind getting me those cloths over there that would be great!" Denise demanded to Christy as she rapidly pointed to the counter where fresh cloths lay. Christy did so and picked them all up to give to Denise.

"I need you to place these cloths on his wound the second that I take the old cloths away!" Denise instructed without worrying whether or not Christy was ready for such a request. She could see that the man was losing a lot of blood as he had already soiled the stained red cloths that were where his leg should have been.

"Count of three. One, two, three!" Denise said in haste and removed the dirty cloths away as Christy replaced herself in the doctor's space to hurriedly apply the fresher cloths on the man's open wound. As curiosity got the better of her, Christy lifted the cloth slightly and took a glance to see where his femur was blasted away. She could see where veins and nerves were cut off as they bled openly before she covered the area completely for the sake of not seeing such a terrible sight.

"That was awesome!" Denise assured and prepared her tools for surgery. "Keep pressure on the opening for me until I get some stuff set up. The bleeding has stopped enough where I can close whatever needs to be closed so he doesn't bleed out anymore. A blood transfusion is _exactly_ what he needs."

"Okay." Christy uttered almost petrified at what she was doing. Christy tried to focus on other things and noticed the patient had an IV already in his system as she could assume he was already under some kind of anesthesia or pain reliever.

"Is he going to be alright?" Christy asked timidly but felt terrible for him as she looked at him sleeping peacefully unaware of all the tragedy that still existed in his surroundings.

"He should be fine." Denise replied but stopped what she was doing and put a hand to her head. She sighed as Christy looked up with uneasiness to see the large divot on the doctor's arm. Christy had seen that kind of bite before and already knew the fate that befell Denise.

"Are _you_ going to be alright?" Christy questioned gently.

Denise looked to Christy with sadness. "I'll be right as rain when he's out of danger. When everyone gets to live because of what I have done, I'll be happy that was the legacy I left behind." Denise said as she took her place back at Heath's side.

Terri walked into the room and spotted Christy. "You're the blood donor?" She surmised.

"Yes." Christy responded and walked to the other side of the operating table.

Terri got a seat for Christy to sit on and then quickly looked at the shelves for more supplies. "We're going to get you squared away very quickly so poor Heath's heart doesn't have to work double time with the loss of blood, okay?" Terri said with a polite voice as any nurse would have said in the time before the virus. "You ready?"

Christy nodded and sat on the chair that Terri provided for her. "I'm ready." She responded.

…

After leading several attacks with the group of Saviors that he assembled, Dwight parked the truck in a different spot that he perceived was more secluded from other Saviors that wreaked destruction on the Alexandrian side. All of his men filed out of the truck with victorious smiles on each of their faces. They seemed to be as delighted in their murderous deeds as Negan had been. Dwight stepped out of the car and surveyed the area around him before he glanced at the men who watched him while awaiting instruction.

"Don't look at me." Dwight said and pointed to the fence. "You know what to do."

They all laughed while grabbing grenades from the back of truck. Dwight watched as they all turned their attention towards the wall at separate times. He waited patiently for the right moment to take his hit as he viewed the first grenade going over the fence hoping none of the grenades that his men threw would be a fatal blow for someone on the other side.

…

Sherry had probably counted to the number ten more than fifty times to steady her mind. Her brain almost felt like a pendulum where it was being swayed to think of one plight or another at any given moment. It took all that she had to remain mindful of her surroundings and not be enveloped within the inner turmoil that was ready to entangle her. She ran towards the watch tower with a gun in her hands while Carl, Rick, Daryl, and Paul sprinted beside her. The watch tower was their only vantage point that they had to see over the wall. If they were going to make any push, they had to make it inside the tower to at least inconvenience Negan's forces at best.

Sherry's adrenaline was working on overload and she was starting to feel it wane with time. Less important matters started to make themselves present as she already had to wipe blood out of her eyes that had trickled down from the side of her face. She felt muggy from the combined sweat and blackened ash but continued to run not even caring that she looked like she had almost been hit with a grenade.

"Rick!" Someone shouted behind them. Sherry turned around to see several of the Alexandrian's that Rick had sent to go to the other side of the wall and were already running back with apprehension written in every detail of their face.

"Rick!" Aaron repeated with anguish. Blood dripped from the side of his forehead but he paid it no mind and continued to speak quickly. "The Saviors have made it to the other side of Alexandria! We are completely surrounded on all sides!"

Sherry's group slowed her pace but they continued their march towards the tower. "Shit." Rick muttered angrily beside Sherry. "We need to get a step up from this!" He exclaimed to himself while Sherry could sense the feeling of complete failure and hopelessness in their position. However, Rick wasn't the sort of person to give up before the battle was over. Even if they didn't know how to go about it, they needed to pull through.

She waited several seconds longer as Rick continued to deliberate what the next course of action was going to be but then started moving towards the watch tower with more speed. Even if their efforts proved to be futile, she had to persevere. She had come too far to watch it all end in shambles. Sherry wasn't going to stand idly by while knowing full well what greeted her if she failed. She determined that she would never go back to Sanctuary and had to do all that she could to prevent that from happening.

With more power in each step that she took, Sherry walked into the watch tower and started climbing up the stairs. She wasn't going to let her practices at the shooting range in Sanctuary go to waste. She even thought of thanking Negan once it was all over for letting her keep her sharpshooting status. She thought of all the walker heads that lined the back of the wall in Sanctuary's gun range and told herself that she needed to maintain that mindset. _The Saviors aren't any better than the biters,_ Sherry thought to herself as she finally made it to the top of the watch tower.

It took her less than five seconds to set up her gun and then leaned it against the framework of the open window. She counted her breaths and thought about what Dwight told her earlier that week when she confessed her guilt for killing some Saviors. Sherry looked through her scope to see the Saviors on the other side of the fence getting ready to unleash more grenades in the air. She saw Negan standing on the rear of the truck as her breath sharpened. _Dwight said it's easier to justify it,_ Sherry thought. She then flashed to all of her friends faces and knew she didn't want to see them all reach a fatal end that day. With that thought, Sherry saw a bucket full of grenades that sat next to the cab of the truck that Negan stood on and fired.

…

Negan looked over the wall with a satisfied smile on his face. He hadn't believed how easy it was to attack Alexandria and knew they suffered just as much as his community did when they attacked only two days before. _An eye for a fucking eye,_ he thought to himself as he clenched and unclenched his fists around Lucille.

"Man, feast your eyes on this shit." He muttered in wonderment. "That'll teach Rick Grimes to not mess with the new world order. That is, if he lived through this fucking storm we delivered to…" Negan was cut off as a giant explosion hit next to the truck that he stood on. He was sent flying from the force as he landed on the gravel straight on his back. The truck was on fire as it took him awhile to adjust back to reality. Negan blinked several times as he lifted his head off the concrete beneath him. Several of his men rushed to him with worry on their face as he shook his head to assure them all that he was fine.

He stared at the semi-truck as fire and smoke lifted above it angrily. He could feel the back of his head was damp as he felt it with his hand. He then looked at his hand and saw it had been stained with blood. "Son of a bitch." He stated as he stood up tall to examine his surroundings. "Was that the fucking grenades?"

"Yeah, looks like they've been shot at." One of the Saviors stated. Negan didn't even know his name and didn't even care to find out.

"Shot?" Negan asked and looked up at the walls to see if some brave souls were risking getting close enough to shoot at them. He didn't see anyone and looked to his men in question. One of the men pointed upwards as Negan followed his gaze. There he saw a figure in the watch tower as he immediately scoffed at the sight. "Fucking Sherry." Negan said as he rolled his eyes. "You have always been a real piece of work." He watched her take aim at several other men and then heard another box of grenades go off fifty feet behind him. He ducked slightly at the noise and then proceeded to glare back up at her.

"Should we fire back at her?" Tyler asked behind him.

Negan shook his head. "No. Move the grenades to be closer to the wall so she can't see where they are." He instructed. After he finished his sentence, Tyler's head exploded as he fell to the ground with a heap.

"Jesus!" Negan exclaimed and looked up to the tower the same time Sherry's aim was pointed directly at him. He thought he was a dead man. After all, it certainly wasn't the first time that she shot at him. Negan just stared her down and watched her hesitation. She held the gun and didn't waver as he only peered at her. _She's not gonna take the fucking shot,_ Negan thought.

Suddenly, she lowered her gun and looked him eye to eye from their distance. She looked tired to him and her cheek appeared bloodied as blackened ash covered her face. He wasn't sure if his luck would run out and if she would decide to shot him again, so he decided to break their moment and run towards the wall and use it for cover. "You'll be back." Negan confirmed in regards to Sherry. "You'll be back."

…

Dwight heard some shots ring from Alexandria's watch tower as his men started chucking several grenades over. He could hear a louder explosion at the front gates and then looked back up to the tower in content disbelief. Whoever was in the tower was making every bullet count and he was very impressed with the precision.

Dwight didn't touch one of the grenades to help as he supervised his men. More so, he was still scoping the area around him and knew his time to help Alexandria was coming soon. It was only a matter of time when he felt it harmless enough to make his move.

…

"What is there left to do?" Carol asked while trying to formulate a plan herself. Everyone was arriving at a loss for ideas when suddenly more grenades rained down at the closest wall as they all backed away in hopes that one wouldn't meet them face to face.

The sound was deafening as Carl wondered if he would be able to hear again once the day was over. It was as if the Saviors were throwing multiple grenades at a time; not even caring for accuracy. At that point in their battle, the Saviors had won! Alexandria was already in shambles as Carl could see multiple houses that were on fire. Every time he passed the infirmary, the injured citizens nearly doubled while their fights would lessen significantly. He hadn't even seen Michonne or Ezekiel since the first grenade was thrown over the wall. It would have taken a miracle for them to even budge against Negan and his men.

They all looked up when they heard shots being fired from the watch tower as the small act of resistance ignited faith within Carl. "Do we have any more grenades in the supply room or did the Saviors pick those off when they last taxed us?" Rick thought to ask anyone who would know.

"Not if they know everywhere to look." Carol interjected and started running towards the supply room to make sure.

Then Carl saw one of the grenades drop to the dirt without as much as a spark. Almost as quick as lightning, he saw Jesus race towards the grenade, pick it up, and chuck it to the other side of the wall as he rolled to the ground and quickly got back on his feet. Not even a second later, they heard an explosion that was followed by cries of shock as the grenade finally went off in Alexandria's favor.

"Well, that's a step in the right direction…" Carl muttered and nudged his father. He looked around to see that Sherry was missing from the crowd and presumed that she was the one in the watch tower. He saw as more grenades tried to aim at the watch tower to no avail but they were going to try and take her out. She must have taken decent enough shots to have been considered a threat. "We need to help Sherry in the tower." He insisted.

Rick looked up to the tower with worry as Carl could see that some grenades were hitting pretty close. "Everyone go to the supply room and grab anything that we can use! We need something that will give us any kind of leverage." Rick said to the other community members as they all split up and did whatever they could to save Alexandria.

…

Dwight was thrown back several feet from the force of the grenade as he landed on his back. The blast knocked the wind out of him as he looked up towards the sky in consternation. Had he been standing five feet closer, he would have been in far worse condition. Everything sounded muted as if he was trying to listen to his surroundings under water. He glanced around at all the men in his group in a trance but rolled over to his stomach taking deep breaths to keep his cool.

He made a couple of groans to pop his ears back so he could at least hear more clearly. Luckily, everyone around him seemed to be doing the same thing or shouting their thoughts to hear themselves speak.

Dwight grumbled and shook his head violently once more to pull himself together as he sat up to get a better view of his surroundings. "Everyone okay? Sound off!" Dwight yelled to the Saviors and focused on the area where the grenade hit. The area was pitch black as splatters of black and dark red speckled the green grass around it. As Dwight looked closer to the center of the impact, there was one Savior whose upper and lower body were completely detached from each other as Dwight instantly felt like gagging from the sight.

"Damn." Dwight said with a mixture of shock and awe. The Savior's eyes were closed in permanent slumber as Dwight refused to feel a tinge of guilt towards him. In his line of work, he couldn't possibly feel remorse towards anyone who followed Negan willingly.

"Jesus! Gary! He's…" Another Savior yelled with disturbance evident in his voice.

"What happened?" A man named Sean asked in a loud voice to even hear himself.

"They threw one back at us!" Dwight shouted back while standing up getting his act together. "Bound to happen at least once. Suppose we should hold onto them longer before throwing them. That way they won't have time to throw them back."

"Wait, how long?" Sean asked with wide eyes as he looked to the grenade in his hands and at the fallen Savior where a grenade met flesh. "Don't they go off after a few seconds? I don't want to end up like that!"

"I don't know." Dwight barked impatiently. "Two seconds? Hold onto it for two seconds before throwing it."

The men looked at Dwight as if he went crazy but reasoned to themselves that they would rather not have grenades being thrown at them again. With their back turned on Dwight they slowly started reaching for more grenades with slight hesitance and looked over the wall.

Dwight looked towards each side of him and saw that his group of Saviors were completely alone. With the sounds of grenades still going off in the near distance and the chaos that had ensued, he couldn't think of a better time to aid Alexandria in the best way that he could.

"You know what?" Dwight muttered as he grabbed for his assault rifle strapped to his back. "Never mind." He quickly pulled on the cocking lever and took aim while he mentally shut his mind off from all things humane.

He held his finger on the trigger and kept it on making sure to keep his aim to kill and so he didn't have to worry about them being walkers soon after that or running out of ammunition. Each man turned with a look of confusion to sheer terror as they realized that Dwight double crossed them. Dwight didn't chance any of them taking the time to fire back at him and continued to be lethal in his targets so his men had zero chance to react.

"Dwight! The fu…" A Savior yelled but was cut off short from two bullets entering his skull and fell to the ground. When Dwight put his sights on the last man standing, his rifle ran out of ammunition. The man looked astounded but quickly started to run away as Dwight threw the rifle to the ground and reached for his pistol that was underneath his belt buckle. He cocked the gun once and raised it up to take aim on the man who was zig zagging away. Dwight watched his pattern for several seconds and then took his shot. The man fell with a crash while holding his thigh while Dwight kept his gun out just in case trouble was still around.

The man started crawling away while his injured leg dragged along. Like a predator, Dwight slowly started following him with his gun still raised. The injured Savior quickly turned around and clumsily threw a grenade towards Dwight as Dwight simply stepped to the side as it went off several seconds later already thirty feet behind him. He didn't expect the man to be the best thrower under the circumstances but was glad for his own sake.

"Why are you doing this, man?" The Savior asked while he continued to crawl away. "You turn on Negan and you're dead!"

"Why not? Negan is a fucking prick." Dwight muttered and raised the gun to the man's head. "Sorry you chose the wrong side." Then Dwight pulled the trigger. Then there was silence that had followed. He looked around and saw all of the men appear lifeless on the ground. He looked to see how many men there were and made a mental note in his head. "Three hundred and thirty eight." He proclaimed as he breathed heavily and let that last several minutes soak in.

"The hell?" Dwight heard someone say as he jumped nearly two feet in the air. He turned to look at all of his surroundings just in case another Savior saw him just commit a massacre but then saw Daryl with his head poking over the fence in amazement. "Heard all the shots and thought one of our guys was down there."

"I am!" Dwight exclaimed and started walking over towards the fence. "Or have you forgotten?" He walked over towards the bucket of grenades that were still in the truck which was parked directly by the fence. "Quick! Help me get this over on your side before someone else drives around!"

Daryl reached his hands downwards to help pull the bucket up but then whistled to someone on his side of the fence. "Hey! Come help me out with this!" Daryl instructed.

Several seconds later, Dwight saw Jesus poke his head over the wall with a smile. "I knew when I first met you that people were still willing to defy Negan." Jesus marveled.

"You knew before I did." Dwight said as he stood on top of the truck's roof to get a better grip on the bucket as he raised it higher. He started sweating from the weight but then soon felt hands grip it above him seconds after.

"I'll tell Negan that we were attacked out here. Make sure Rick knows I'm doing everything I can." Dwight insisted and groaned while pushing the bucket upwards for them to take completely. "I want you guys to trust me."

Daryl and Jesus had enough leverage to carry the bucket over to their side as it sat on the dirt mound below them. "As far as we're concerned, you are one of us." Jesus said with appreciation. "Thanks for this."

"What's the plan?" Dwight asked while still standing on the roof of the truck looking in both directions just in case other Saviors started walking around the corner.

"So far, there isn't one." Jesus answered honestly. "We don't really have much to go off of."

"Is it bad over there?" Dwight asked unsure if he wanted to know the answer.

Daryl and Jesus looked to each other and both nodded solemnly. Dwight knew that even with the grenades that he gave them, there was still a minimal chance of survival rate for the Alexandrian's. They needed something that could benefit them and perhaps drive the Saviors away.

"Daryl!" Dwight heard a woman yell on the other side of the fence. He then saw that it was Carol as she held a string with dismay. "It's a fuse. That was all we could find. Negan took the rest of our explosives."

Dwight's mind was racing as he tried to think of any kind of plan that would be useful with the tools that they had. "We need to make an impact at the front gates. Most of the Saviors are there still." Dwight revealed. "We take out their biggest crowd and that'll make the rest of them fall out." He then looked to the fuse, the truck beneath him, and then back at the grenades. "Hand me those back."

"What?" Jesus asked. "Why?"

"I think I have a plan. Hop on over and help me out with it. Quickly. This could get the Saviors driving back to Sanctuary if we pull it off." Dwight suggested as they all looked to him quizzically. Dwight just hoped his idea would go off without a hitch before more people died.

…

Christy was given a chair as she sat next to the table and watched Denise work. She was also given water and plenty of food while blood pumped into Heath's system from the tube in both of their arms. Christy tried to keep herself focused and just continued to watch Denise work with fascination. Denise worked slowly as she tried to keep up with the precarious operation but decided being precise was better than making a mistake.

As Denise operated almost effortlessly on Heath's leg, she paused and closed her eyes. Christy stood up but felt lightheaded at the sudden movement from already donating a good amount of blood. "What's wrong?" Christy asked with care.

"Um…" Denise said with her eyes still closed. "My head is pounding and my hands won't stay still for the life of me."

"Is there anything you need me to do?" Christy inquired but was unsure of what she was able to do under the circumstances of being tied to the unconscious patient. "Should we get a nurse to help assist?"

"I told them to not disturb this procedure for another thirty minutes so I could concentrate." Denise stated trying to think. "He needs blood so you can't go anywhere and I feel like I'm going to pass out if I move any steps towards the door." Denise took a seat next to the table that Heath laid on top of and took a deep breath. "How lightheaded do you feel?" She asked.

Christy looked to her and knew where she was going with the conversation. "I'm not sure if I'm qualified to…" She started.

"The fatal part is over with." Denise assured. "He won't die due to an open vein because those are already taken care of. All you need to do is stitch a couple of other places to prevent infections and then wrap up his leg nice and tight. I'll walk you through everything." Denise took a deep breath as pain took over her entire body. She was entering the most painful part of the change. Christy remembered seeing the virus take over before with her husband Bradley before the world was permanently altered.

"I can try." Christy offered half-heartedly. She knew that no matter what she did, she needed to remain calm and not overwhelm herself. If she panicked in any way, she would pass out from loss of blood on her end. Christy looked at the unconscious Heath and felt more determined. "He's going to be in for a surprise when he wakes up from this."

"Hopefully it's a pleasant surprise." Denise said with a weak smile. "Take the sutures. I'll point to the spot that needs to be closed up first and we'll go from there."

…

Dwight found an abandoned house that was just outside of Alexandria's territory and parked right in front of it. He got out quickly and jumped into the back of the truck where Jesus and Daryl already were. Carol got out of the passenger seat and circled around the car while Dwight searched through his toolbox.

"Hand me two casings of that C4, please." Dwight said to no one in particular as he pointed towards a black duffel bag that sat on the opposite side of the truck bed. He knew there was some C4 that the Saviors loaded up before they made their trip to Alexandria.

Carol looked to him with surprise then climbed into the back of the truck to retrieve what he asked. "I guess a better question is to ask what you _don't_ have supplied." She muttered disheartened at how much the Saviors had at their disposal.

"We tend to prepare for moments such as this." Dwight uttered with pliers in hand as he fumbled with the fuse line. Beads of sweat drenched his forehead as he looked up to everyone around him. He had been practiced with explosives and helped with several of the booby traps that Sanctuary had near its front gate. Jesus, Carol, and Daryl assisted him while they hid in the cover of a house just east of Alexandria on the same street of the front entrance. Carol then gave him the C4 as he proceeded to lodge the fuse line in between the two casings. "Do I have any volunteers for someone to steer this truck as it careens towards the Saviors at the front gate?" He asked absentmindedly.

They all looked to him as if they didn't hear him correctly. "You want someone to do what?" Jesus replied incredulously.

"This truck is heading straight towards the Saviors. We'll lodge something on the accelerator so whoever drives this truck can light the fuse and jump out way before the Saviors even have time to react and retaliate." Dwight assured as he put the C4 on top of the box full of the grenades. "I would volunteer for my half-baked idea but seeing as how they can't really see me fighting them… that causes problems."

Daryl looked to the box as Dwight lined the fuse to be close to the steering wheel for convenience of the driver. "You really intend to use this hunk 'ah junk to blow those fuckers up?" He questioned. Dwight could hear the hint of skepticism but ignored it as he lined the fuse around the passenger seat.

"Well, when you have a good enough reason, why the fuck not?" Dwight answered as he continued to work fast on the rigged truck. "Any takers?" He asked.

"Yeah." Daryl responded in his usual grumble and got in the driver's seat. "You think this'll work, then I'll do it. Fuckers need to pay for what they've done."

"That's the spirit." Dwight agreed as he handed Daryl a shaft to lodge the accelerator in once he got close enough. "Need to borrow a light?" He thought to ask but knew Daryl always had one on his person.

Daryl shut the car door but gave Dwight a face, scoffed, and turned on the ignition.

Dwight took a more serious tone and knew that Daryl speeding towards the Saviors wasn't a laughing matter. Several things could go wrong in a quick instant and it easily put Daryl in great danger. He wasn't necessarily friends with the guy but after already losing Jason only a day before, there were still some raw emotions that he didn't fully hash out. "Get out of there as soon as you can." Dwight instructed. "Hopefully they will be too preoccupied to counter attack. Get out of that car before they are even close to shooting you."

"Watch yourself, Daryl." Carol pleaded behind Dwight.

He then tapped the truck door and nodded as Daryl nodded back and started driving towards the front gates. They watched him leave then saw the car turn the corner to be on the same street that the Saviors were on. Dwight heard the car accelerate then started walking towards the wall to meet up with the closest group of Saviors he could find. "You guys need to find a place to lay low. Saviors are going to be running clear of this area soon and you can't be in the thick of that." He muttered to Carol and Jesus as he left them behind.

"What about you?" Jesus questioned.

Dwight kept on walking as he sped his pace. "I need to maintain some kind of alibi." He answered.

…

Sherry noticed the truck from the watch tower as it careened towards Negan's men at the front gates. "What the hell?" Rick uttered as he looked up from his scope and towards the white truck.

"That's Dwight's truck." Sherry declared and watched as it the driver didn't show any intention of slowing down. The Saviors started to notice the danger and raised their guns towards the truck in defense.

"Daryl's in there!" Carl shouted with distress. Sherry glanced towards the driver and saw someone fidgeting with something beneath him as he started opening the car door. "What is he doing?" Carl asked.

Daryl jumped out of the car while car continued to roll towards the Saviors. Sherry lifted her gun while Daryl rolled it off and started booking it away from Alexandria knowing that Saviors surrounded the area. "Let's give him cover now!" Rick ordered them as they did what needed to be done. If Sherry saw anyone that posed a threat and shot at Daryl, she would right back at them.

More Saviors were clued in on the truck's closeness and started to shoot at it. They shot at the tires but not soon enough as it barreled into the semi-trailer of an already burned truck. The car stopped with a crash and a jolt as Sherry continued to shoot at Saviors who trailed behind Daryl. She wondered what the point of the truck was as it did nothing on impact. The cab of the truck looked to be smoking but very lightly. She hoped that Daryl's life wasn't put at stake for nothing.

…

Negan watched Dwight's truck slam into the semi-trailer as all the men jumped back as if expecting the worst result. One of Rick's men dived out of the car before he got too close to the Saviors and he wondered if Dwight's team fell under serious fire on their side. He didn't pay the small detail any more thought as he nodded to some Saviors to inspect the vehicle. Multiple Saviors enclosed on it tentatively as one man who was the closest stopped dead in his tracks and turned his back to run. However, it was too late as Negan immediately felt the heat of the fire as the area burst into black flames that instantly formed into a mushroom cloud.

"Motherfucker!" Negan exclaimed as he could already count dozens of his men that went down with the explosion. Out of anger, he walked to the closest and recently deceased corpse and started stomping on his head.

"What should we do?" One Savior asked behind him.

"Tell the men around the walls that we are retreating. We overstayed our fucking welcome and I think we got our point across just fine!" Negan proclaimed as all the men booked it. Saviors surrounded him in case they fell under open fire but it didn't come. He got the feeling that the battle was over for one more day.

…

Sherry was left in disbelief as all the Saviors started fleeing the scene after the truck burst into flames. She watched as all the Saviors that were radioed in were started driving away once they heard the command to return to Sanctuary. Her eyes scanned around Alexandria as she watched the Saviors ride off and leave them to burn. Sherry's excitement that they left started to dim when she saw the aftermath of what their fight gave Alexandria. So many people were affected by the violence. Several houses on fire as she looked down at the scene while many people still sat outside the infirmary waiting to receive the care that they needed.

"Sherry?" Carl said to get her attention. She looked at him as the adrenaline died down and saw that he was pointing in one direction. She followed his gaze and saw two women sitting near the wall while remnants of an explosion surrounded them. Sherry saw that it was Deanna and Ashlyn as panic soared throughout her entire being as she felt her feet leave the watch tower on instinct.

…

Dwight waved down some Saviors who were taking off in a truck as it was full of men with delighted grins plastered on. Disgusted at their obvious enjoyment at the expense of others, Dwight watched them slow their car only so much so that he could hop inside the cab. They didn't want to risk being the last group of Saviors that were left vulnerable to an angry group of Alexandrians.

They drove away from Alexandria as Dwight looked out of the side mirror and saw smoke billow up from Alexandria. He could only hope that he did enough so that Alexandria had the strength for another fight. He ultimately knew it was going to lead to more bloodshed. Negan wasn't known to leave something be until it was over.

…

"Ashlyn! Deanna!" Sherry yelled as the smoke cleared in the front area of Alexandria. Sherry tried to avoid the lives that were lost as she had to step over body parts that were in her way. She passed by a house that was on fire and towards the wall as she scanned the area.

"Ashlyn?" Sherry cried. She turned her head to look right and saw two figures sitting right next to the wall. Sherry made a gasp and bolted towards them. "Ashlyn! Please answer me!" She begged but there wasn't an answer. "Ashlyn!" When she got to them, she saw tear streaks down Ashlyn's face as Ashlyn slowly looked up to her.

"I couldn't leave her alone." Ashlyn wailed and stared back down to Deanna who wasn't responding. Sherry picked up Deanna's wrist and waited until she could feel a pulse. It was small and quiet but it was still steady. Sherry breathed a sigh of relief but then looked to Deanna's face. It was incredibly pale and she still didn't open her eyes.

Sherry turned around to see several people scouring the area for any signs of life as Sherry tried to flag some down. "Hey! Over here!" She exclaimed.

Sherry saw two faces look in her direction in the distance and saw that it was Aaron and Father Gabriel that were headed their way. "We'll get you some help!" Sherry stated and looked to Ashlyn. "Were you hurt?"

Ashlyn shook her head but more silent tears fell. She then looked to Deanna's stomach area and pointed to the wound. Sherry cringed at the sight and put a hand to her mouth with dismay. "I tried to stop the bleeding but ran out of things to cover it with. Everything is soaked." Ashlyn reported in anguish. "I tried…I tried…" Ashlyn said as Father Gabriel and Aaron made their way over.

Sherry looked to Aaron and gestured to Ashlyn. "Please take her to the infirmary?" She asked as her voice was full of emotion and saw that Father Gabriel was already picking Deanna up in his arms to take her in the same direction. Aaron had picked up Ashlyn as she cried in his shoulder finally letting out every fear that was expressed in the last hour.

Sherry could feel tears stream down her cheeks as she followed with much regret felt. She wasn't able to save everyone. As difficult as it would have been to protect the people around her, she still expected it of herself. Lauren was gone. The odds that Deanna would live were minimal. There was no way to know at that moment how many people had their lives taken away. She wondered if the communities would be able to withstand another blow like the one they dealt with.

As she looked around her, she could see that their day was nowhere near finished. People needed help. House fires needed to be extinguished. Sherry felt like she could have passed out from the exhaustion she felt but instead kept a steady pace towards the infirmary. At the very least, she needed to be there for everyone who felt as equally shell shocked as she did.

…

"Denise?" Tara asked as Denise stared at Christy's work intently.

"Just make sure that the bandages are nice and…." Denise started to say but her voice started to trail off into nothing as she looked half asleep. She kept her head propped up by her elbow as she leaned against the operating table to keep a steadfast gaze on what Christy was doing. Throughout the entire time that Christy took over, Denise gave her kind instructions and eased her into the process.

With only the bandages left, Denise had a content smile on her face as she looked to Christy with gratitude. "Heath is going to live now, Tara." Denise stated quietly as Tara put her hands on both of Denise's shoulders.

"I know. But now you have to lay down and rest." Tara wept as she said it. The realization that Denise didn't have enough time struck a chord with Christy. She didn't know Denise before an hour ago. Yet, she coached her through the whole surgery.

Terri walked into the room as she glanced at Denise with sadness. "Yolanda and I will be okay tending to everyone else if you would like to sit and relax." Terri addressed to them. Tara nodded to Terri as she guided Denise outside the bedroom with somber steps.

Christy looked to Heath as he still laid unconscious on the table. She sat beside him as she felt very lightheaded from the whole process but she couldn't believe she had done what she just did. Never in her life did she think that she could save a life on the scale that she did. It was a thrill. She had wished that she could take part in something as incredible once more.

"Barbara, isn't it?" Terri asked her as she was brought back to the present. She smiled to Terri as her eyes felt red from not closing them for a long time. She was amazed at how much effort she put into the surgery but was realizing that her body knew how much she strained herself.

"I need to unhook you from Heath." Terri said and started getting gauze and wrappings ready after she took Christy's arm off the needle. "It's amazing. You performed surgery while giving your patient a blood transfusion. No easy feat."

"You can say that again." Christy muttered and looked towards the door. "Does anyone else need help?"

"Of course, but right now you are white as a ghost. After you sit, you can ask who else needs saving." Terri instructed. "I would rather you sit and help later than pass out within five minutes of overexertion."

"Okay." Christy said in a tired voice. Sitting down and relaxing didn't sound too bad to her. Even though she already ached to help the others in the rest of the infirmary, she knew that recovering her strength was the best for everyone.

…

"There is no way that we can get this out of her without fatal consequences." Maggie whispered overcome with emotion. A few people gathered inside Deanna's room and watched the fragile woman as she laid on the bed in the center. "If we brought Doctor Carson with us, than maybe he could have done something but even then…" Sherry's shoulder slumped at the information as Ashlyn held her middle in deep mourning. They crowded in the small hallway as Rick leaned against the doorway while Michonne sat next to Deanna's bed and held her hand.

"Don't talk about me like I can't hear." Deanna chided behind Maggie. "If you don't mind, I would like to speak with some people individually."

Maggie smiled somberly towards the hurt woman but nodded her consent. "Who would you like to speak to first?" She asked.

"Sherry, Michonne, you, and then Rick." Deanna said as she answered Maggie.

Sherry stood up straight and looked to everyone with confusion. Everyone passed by Sherry while she made her way inside the tiny room as Rick put a hand on her shoulder in comfort. Michonne was the last to leave and did the same as Rick and then shut the door behind her.

"You have taken care of those grapevines that I have assigned you." Deanna whispered as she looked to Sherry with a smile.

Sherry smirked but could feel tears escape her eyes. "I have, haven't I?" Sherry said as she took a seat next to Deanna.

"Hm." Deanna hummed as she looked to Sherry. "I'm great at reading people, you know that, right?" Sherry nodded as Deanna went on. "You know what I see when I look at you? I see that you are a fighter and a leader. When we win this war, you will bring peace to Sanctuary along with your boyfriend." Sherry grinned at Deanna's bold intuition in regards to Dwight. "You will. I know you will you will make our communities thrive alongside Maggie, Rick, Ezekiel, Dwight, and Michonne. You might not consider yourself in their status but you are. Your light is too bright to be snuffed out like Negan wanted it to be. In the end you'll be a better leader than he ever was."

"I don't know, Deanna." Sherry said as she reached for the matriarch's hand. "I don't know if I'm strong enough to lead people."

Deanna only smiled wider at her statement and shook her head. "You have more potential than you give yourself credit for. I have seen you sacrifice so much for the people around you." Sherry scrunched up her face as the day's events came to a close and she was only left with the feeling of sorrow. "You'll realize one day that you're strengths are a blessing to those who receive you as a friend."

Sherry gently dabbed at her eyes as she put her head on Deanna's bed. Deanna placed her hand on top of Sherry's scalp and started brushing her hair with her fingers. "I remember you saying that the last time you went to Italy was for your great-grandmother's funeral. Is that correct?" Deanna inquired.

Sherry nodded her head and looked to Deanna expectantly. "How do you say, 'until the next time?'" She asked.

Sherry composed herself and looked up to Deanna with fondness. "Alla prossima." She responded.

Deanna looked fulfilled and gazed at Sherry. "Alla prossima." She repeated.

 **AUTHOR'S NOTES, TRIVIA, & FACTS**

 **#1 – Let's hear it for the LONGEST chapter of the Many Hearts to Tread series to date! It took so long to edit and construct but I did it! Woot woot!**

 **#2 – September 17** **th** **marks the 2** **nd** **Anniversary of when I first wrote Many Hearts to Tread. I'll TRY and post chapter 10 on the same day but hopefully it'll be posted even before that and chapter 11 can be the one that celebrates the 2** **nd** **Anniversary instead. Let's hope I can knock out two chapters in 12 days.**

 **#3 – Other important posting days are September 30** **th** **(Dwight's birthday) and October 8** **th** **(Sherry's birthday). Those will be chapters 11 &12 or 12&13\. I hope I can stay with the schedule. Life has thrown our family a couple of hardballs and we're just trying to work with all of that.**

 **#4 – Deleted scene was the watch tower being hit while Rick, Carl, and Sherry were inside. No major beams would be hit but it would still be chaotic inside the tower on the top level. I deleted because there was enough going on in this chapter to not add another scene that puts the characters in a life or death situation. So now the tower has been unscathed from the grenade parade.**


	10. Chapter 10

**AUTHOR'S NOTES – WANTED! I have decided to not watch season 7 of Walking Dead until I am finished with book 4. Maybe I'll be finished with writing this book before October 23** **rd** **but I can't guarantee it. Sometimes watching the characters from the show distracts from the writing process. That sounds melodramatic but I would rather write what I feel versus what happens in the show. I can confidently say that some story arcs and character developments are drastically different than where the show is headed. Therefore, I can't have it take away what I have been planning for my FanFiction. Again, sounds dramatic but I have been writing about these books for two years now… As miniscule of a passion that it is in the scheme of things, it's still mine.**

 **That being said, I am still interested in what happens in the show. If anyone wants to volunteer to be my middle man and email me what important stuff happens in the show (mainly new characters that aren't in the comics or are different than their comic-counterpart) so I can continue to incorporate some things from the show. I have always liked to mix key elements from the show & the comic alike. Can't really do any differences in how Sanctuary is or how the Saviors act around Negan because that is already set in stone. Definitely some things that I can't change but if there are any new characters or fun scenes or interactions that you would like to see in this FanFiction, let me know. I can't use all of them but I would love to keep this FanFic, the comic books, and the show pretty close in at least one shape or form.**

 **On another note, I know I have said that the next book will be called Beauty…I have since changed it…The fifth installment will be called "Heal."**

Chapter 10

"Dwight?" Ryan asked while they sat in the back of a truck packed with other Saviors. Dwight looked to him while the truck whizzed towards Sanctuary. Saviors drove around them as they sped away to head home and think of another attack. His eye twitched at the thought as he didn't want to engage in another showdown with the communities. Yet he knew it was what Negan was going to do.

Dwight doubted his ability to continue being on Negan's side for the sake of giving Rick's group intel. He spent years as Negan's executioner where he had to turn his mind off for fear that the guilt would eat him alive. As he made the turning point in his atonement, his eyes had become opened to how far he passed to an evil side. The feeling became more heartrending as his thoughts would try and properly place where all his previous actions lied. As he looked back on his long list of unspeakable conduct, he would think less of himself. _How long do I have to pretend I'm on a side that I don't represent?_ Dwight thought.

"Dwight?" Ryan asked again while Dwight noticed Ryan looking up to him concerned. "You don't think we'll try and attack those people again, do you?" Ryan asked.

Ryan didn't fit the Sanctuary mold much like Dwight hadn't when he first joined up. Ryan had a wife and two young children who were both under the age of three. They had recently been discovered by the Saviors and were taken in for Ryan to be a soldier for Negan's army. Dwight was unsure of how many people were sold on Negan's new and perfect world order but knew it didn't sit well with Ryan.

"More than likely." Dwight answered distantly. Ryan peered at him as if he held a deep amount of regret but thought better than to say anything. Dwight could still see the hesitancy in his features but didn't respond back to it.

"You get any good throws back there, Ryan?" Another Savior pressed who sat beside the young father. Dwight gave him a quick glance but then stared down at his feet to avoid conversation altogether.

"Um, I'm not sure." Ryan confessed reticently.

"Damn, really?" The Savior went on. "I hit some woman with one, I think. I could only tell by the banshee scream afterwards. Bitch didn't even see it coming."

Dwight wasn't able to stay and see what the damage was on the other side of Alexandria but the statement from the Savior was making his body temperature rise with anger towards the man. He didn't know if it was Sherry that could have perished. If she had died, Dwight was going to blindly put blame on the man who was sitting across from him in the bed of the truck. Worry settled in as he thought about the last time he saw her. He remembered that she stood close to the gate alongside Rick and Daryl. It was a large possibility that he needed to prepare for; Sherry could have been dead.

"What the fuck is that?" A Savior, named Miguel, said next to him. Dwight saw him pointing upwards as they all looked towards the source of bewilderment. Smoke billowed in the sky in small portions as they heard various noises clinging and clacking in the not too far distance.

Dwight scanned the area as they closed in on the area that Dwight had killed Abraham at. Understanding that Eugene and Abraham were scouting that location for a reason, Dwight started shaking his head slowly in discontent. "Shit," he muttered to himself. The Saviors had befallen Alexandria's ammunition factory.

"Anyone know what that is?" Miguel asked.

"Probably some of the Alexandrian's scouts. Maybe they are going to ambush us?" Ryan questioned fearfully.

"No, they wouldn't have been able to catch up to us in time." Dwight pitched in. He watched as all the line of cars started turning towards the street where the factory sat. Dwight pursed his lips as he realized how bad it was that the Saviors found an important piece of Alexandria's war effort.

When the cars came to a stop, Dwight jumped out of the truck and grumbled in pain from landing on his cut off toe. He shook it out while trekking towards Negan's car at the front.

"Dwight!" Negan exclaimed as he got out of his passenger seat in the front truck. "Your fucking truck barreled into the semi. How the fuck did that happen?"

"My group was overrun by some shitheads that jumped the fence. The fucking redneck led them." Dwight answered immediately. He had already thought of a convincing answer only because he knew Negan would ask. "Think these guys are Alexandrian's?"

Negan shrugged at Dwight's answer then looked to the small factory where several walkers lurked around it. "One way to find out." He commented as he nodded towards some Saviors to take care of the walkers. As if on cue, the factory's back door burst open with a man walking out unaware of the danger. Dwight watched the man's look of sheer panic turn into misery as the walkers descended upon him with a hellish fury. Gunshots were heard from inside the factory as they shot at the undead who threatened to enter inside. Negan held his men at bay as he looked entertained at their efforts. The Alexandrian's were still unbeknownst that another threat stood by.

It took them several more minutes to take care of the threat. At that point, more and more Alexandrian's started to realize that they weren't entirely alone as they looked towards the Saviors with apprehension. When Eugene was the one to get rid of the last walker, it fell to the ground and was followed by silence on both sides. Negan glanced at the factory and tried to steal a peek inside as his face read intrigue.

"Exactly what the fuck are you guys doing out here?" Negan asked dangerously.

…

With the noise earlier in the day, walkers stalked the area with hunger. As if they didn't have enough on their hands, they had to do their best to dispose the undead who lurked at their front door.

The sun was setting as everyone started to settle down for the night. There was no more that they could do yet there was still so much that they had to repair. Everyone mutually decided that they had exhausted every part of their body trying to put out fires, carry people to the infirmary, donate blood, care for children who had lost a parent or both, and other small things that they did to help each other out.

Sherry took her first step out of the infirmary since she walked in eleven hours before. In that time, they had lost two important people in the Alexandrian community. Sherry was by Deanna's side along with Ashlyn, Rick, Michonne, and Maggie when she passed away. Rick was the one who offered to take care of her brain so she wouldn't animate as they all ushered out of the upstairs room to get to other places in Alexandria and get back to work. Several hours later, Denise died in Tara's arms of which Daryl had to keep from becoming a walker.

Sherry looked at the sunset as she breathed a sigh of discouragement. None of them had any idea when the next attack would be. Every raid on either side would have severe damages to their numbers and disposition. Terri had to leave hours before Sherry did as she almost passed out from mental and physical exhaustion. Sherry was close to that point as she headed towards Deanna's home with a despondent step.

Sherry watched some people heading towards her as they were making their way home from their assigned duties of the day. Sherry saw Aaron, Carol, and Tobin among them as they all looked to her with fatigue.

"Things alright in the infirmary?" Carol asked Sherry as they passed.

"Yes. Things have all been wrapped up or stitched." Sherry replied. "What about at the front gates? Any repairs that need to get done?"

Tobin shook his head. "Our gate stayed tried and true." He stated. "We had to take care of some walkers that were passing through from hearing the noises earlier today. Wasn't too much. We were lucky."

Aaron made a noise as Sherry looked to him in question. She then remembered that he was recently dealing with a passing of a loved one. She was amazed at the level that Terri and Aaron worked at. They both had deaths of someone who was stolen from them unexpectedly and yet continued to give the cause all the work that they had given previously. Sherry could only describe it as remarkably admirable and courageous. "How are you doing, Aaron?" She asked.

Aaron looked up to her with eyes that portrayed all the heartache that he had recently felt. "If the walkers could see how much we kill each other…they would be laughing at us. We're only making their job easier." Aaron said regretfully.

Sherry looked down but nodded in agreement. With a deep sigh, she stared off into the distance to try and mask the weariness she had felt. Too many people were dying. She had killed many in the last several days. "Let's hope it ends soon so we can continue living." Sherry encouraged as she knew Aaron needed some words to keep as a reminder.

"Amen to that." Tobin replied and looked to Carol as he reached for her hand. "I think we're clocking in for the night. Unless you can think of anything else that needs to be taken care of soon?"

Sherry was taken aback by Tobin's expectant look as she stared at Carol in query. Carol gazed back at her almost knowingly but didn't say anything on the subject. "Um, no." Sherry answered. "I was about to head home and sleep some. You guys should do the same."

"Sounds like a plan." Carol said and rubbed Tobin's back to guide him towards their shared home. "Sleep well, Sherry. Oh, and I forgot to ask you something a couple days ago."

Sherry tilted her head in curiosity. "Yeah?" She asked.

"That grenade that I put in your backpack while we were in Sanctuary?" Carol asked.

Sherry rolled her eyes and knew where Carol was going. "Thanks for giving to me. It _did_ come in handy." Sherry confessed.

Carol beamed in satisfaction as the three of them walked further into the town. Sherry watched them leave as she started to get excited about sleeping even if only for a few hours. She was unsure of what the next day was going to bring them but decided that she was going to take advantage of the peace and quiet. She didn't know if she would ever have another moment like the present and started towards Deanna's house once more.

"Sherry?" She instantly closed her eyes at the sound of her name and just wanted to rest. Recognizing the voice, she knew she would have to be up for a few more hours if she answered back. Sherry considered even pretending that she didn't hear Rick's voice and to just keep stepping towards Deanna's house. "Sherry?" Rick repeated as he started stalking towards her.

Sherry turned around to face him. "Yeah?" She answered in voice that sounded all but spent.

"People want to leave Alexandria at first light." Rick stated evenly.

Sherry blinked several times to let what he said sink in. "What?" She asked so he could repeat what he said. Even though Alexandria was in disarray, she couldn't think of being anywhere else.

"Maggie offered that we move to Hilltop until things clear up between Sanctuary." Rick explained as he finally made it to her. "If the Saviors came back to Alexandria, I don't know if it would survive another confrontation." He looked around in the darkness to see the mess that was around the walls. "They could knock our gate over. Just like what we did to them. And it would all be over. We need to leave this place so it's still here when everything's over."

"We would just be causing the same issue at Hilltop, wouldn't we?" Sherry asked with uncertainty. If they kept on moving the fight, they would eventually lose their homes one by one every time Negan advanced his army towards them. "Does Maggie really want that for her people?"

"We got a report from the people that are still in Hilltop. Same with the elderly in the Kingdom. They are all being harassed while the fight stays here. We need all of us to stick together and finish this. Hilltop wants our protection with our numbers. We can't stay in Alexandria right now. Think about it." Rick reasoned.

Sherry tried to think of all the variables but then shook her head. "Why does my opinion matter so much, Rick?" Sherry inquired.

"Deanna told me before she passed on…" Rick started.

"I'm not running a community." Sherry said flatly.

Rick pursed his lips and gave her a knowing stare. "Yeah, we'll see about that." He said and dropped the matter.

Sherry rolled her eyes but smiled fondly. "Deanna was a better leader than I could have ever been. I don't understand what she saw in me to say something like that." Sherry confessed.

"She was very good at reading people." Rick pondered. "I didn't want to be in charge of Alexandria but she knew that was what I was good at."

"She put you in charge because you lived outside a cushioned life for this whole time." Sherry corrected. "Deanna knew you could make the tough decisions that the community needed to toughen up. I have lived in Sanctuary almost the whole time. I'm behind everyone else on survival skills."

"You know what I think?" Rick interjected. "I think that Deanna needed me to take care of the smaller picture while she focused on the big picture. She was thinking of what life would be like decades down the road. I could only think of actions day by day. You're more like Deanna than you think."

"Even in times like today, she could only think of a better future." Sherry reminisced as she thought fondly of the woman. She wiped at a tear that was starting to form and shook her head to clear her mind again. "I'm not like that. For years I could only tell myself that no matter how bad things got, they could always get worse. That's not the way Deanna saw the world."

"Do you think that way now?" Rick asked.

Sherry looked to the ground. "I'm at least giving people another chance. I guess that's a step in the right direction." She mused then smiled to herself. "But hey, if you want to leave Alexandria, that's your decision to make. You don't need to ask me because I'm not in charge of anything."

"Just thought I would ask. I already asked Maggie, Jesus, Michonne, and Ezekiel. All I needed was your stamp of approval." Rick joked.

"Stop." Sherry replied and rolled her eyes again.

"Sherry!" She heard Amber calling for her and looked around until she could see a small figure running towards her in the distance.

"What's wrong?" Sherry questioned as she walked the rest of the distance towards Amber who looked to have been crying. "What happened?" She then asked with alarm.

"It's Jada!" Amber said as she burst into tears. She put a hand to her face and continued to weep while Sherry just stared at her unsure of what she was trying to tell her.

"What about Jada?" Sherry asked. She wondered how Jada could have been a recent topic since they had to leave her in Sanctuary along with Brittany. She prayed multiple times in the day that they were still alright.

"She's dead!" Amber revealed through short breaths.

Sherry's hair on her arm rose up as more questions were begged to be answered. "I don't understand, Amber. How do you know this?" She quizzed delicately.

"Jada had a tattoo on her wrist." Amber stated and grabbed Sherry's arm to guide her. "I was helping with burying the dead and we stumbled upon her."

"But how did she get in here?" Sherry asked while Amber guided her. Rick followed behind with curiosity getting the better of both of them.

They finally arrived near the front of the gate while Sherry had to put her sleeve over her nose to avoid smelling the bloated bodies that still littered the area. Amber then pointed to a body that Sherry could have sworn belonged to Sasha. Then realization struck her as she understood what Negan had done the whole time. It never occurred to her before how similar Jada and Sasha looked. She took a closer look and knelt next to the dead body of the walker that she previously disposed of. Everything had happened so fast. When she bit down on Denise's arm, no one seemed to question whether it was Sasha or not. Sherry had shot her face so it was hard to tell with their facial features earlier in that day amongst the commotion.

Sherry inspected Sasha's arm and saw the tattoo that Amber spoke of. Even knowing Sasha only for a month, she knew from talking to her that she didn't have a tattoo where the body had one. She knew Jada and then knew that Negan had switched her to be Sasha's body double in a disgusting exchange that only appealed to their fragile emotions. Sherry looked to Jada's animated body and surmised that was no longer the person she cared about. She stood up straight and walked away to keep herself composed at another death that shook her to the core.

"If that's not Sasha, then where is she?" Rick inquired as he looked towards the wall in the direction that Sanctuary sat miles away.

…

Dwight escorted Eugene inside the court house and guided him up the stairs to be put in another place than his other cohorts that were in the ammunition factory. Dwight and Eugene watched as the Saviors took them to a separate place in the court house as Dwight could recall his first day in Sanctuary where his group were taken to the basement. It was mostly to provide the feeling of isolation for the ones that Negan took a high interest in speaking to. The ones he interrogated were taken upstairs.

"Where are you taking my friends?" Eugene asked angrily in Dwight's direction.

"Somewhere else." Dwight answered coldly as there were still other Saviors present. He couldn't slip up that he had known Eugene on any other level than him being a public enemy who worked under the hated Rick Grimes. "Shut the fuck up and keep walking." He felt bad that he had always wanted to say that to Eugene but never had an opportunity to until that moment where his bad behavior was going to be expected and accepted by the Saviors.

"You son of a bitch." Eugene muttered quietly while Dwight didn't say anything in reply. He only spurred him further towards his holding cell so he could seek out what the next plan was going to be.

When they made it up the stairs, Eugene would stare into each room as Dwight could see the look of fear settling even more. The Saviors that walked with Dwight and Eugene hastily fanned out as Dwight and Eugene were the only ones left in the "hallway of nightmares" as some Saviors have nicknamed it as. Many Saviors and non-Saviors alike were tortured in the very same rooms. The once white tiles were stained with blood while the hallway floors weren't any different. Some people were less fortunate and didn't leave that area of the court house alive. Fortunately, Dwight wasn't one of those poor souls. Yet, the haunting atmosphere hadn't changed in that wing of the court house for him. Dwight could easily say that the torture area was the most terrifying place inside Sanctuary.

They passed a large room while Dwight had revolting memories of that particular spot where Dean had met his end with Lucille and then Haruki being shot by Dwight himself. As if Eugene sensed the mood change, he turned around slightly to look at Dwight. Dwight didn't pretend to let Eugene think that everything was going to be alright. Negan wasn't going to rest until he sought vengeance that would make the communities regret their choice of defection.

"Eugene?" Someone uttered in a room that they passed.

Eugene looked into the room as his eyes widened. "Sasha!" He marveled as she stood handcuffed to a metal bar that was attached to the opposite side of the room. Takuya was in the room with her as Dwight could see some fresh blood stains at the doorway along with Sasha's ripped clothes.

"What the hell happened here?" Dwight inquired quietly and looked to Takuya.

"Someone tried to attack Sasha." Takuya explained. "It's been taken care of."

Dwight looked around and saw their group was alone of other Saviors in close vicinity. "Sasha?" He asked. She looked up to him with eyes heavy laden with remorse. "Are you alright?"

Sasha glanced towards all three men and nodded tearfully. "What is going on out there? What happened in Alexandria?" She questioned quickly. "Is anyone dead?"

Eugene turned to face Dwight as he was unable to answer the question. Dwight took a deep breath and sighed. "I don't know." He answered.

"You don't know?" Sasha challenged. "What do you mean that you don't know?"

"We attacked Alexandria, Sasha." Dwight stated. "I can't even begin to know all the damage but Negan brought every single grenade that was in our inventory and sent them flying inside Alexandria's walls. We were driven back but I can't even begin to understand how many people are injured or anything."

Sasha appeared alarmed at Dwight's information and peered down at the floor. "What is Rick going to do now?" She asked mostly to herself.

"He better think of something soon." Dwight muttered as he looked behind at the noise of other Saviors heading their way. He nudged Eugene forward again when they came into view to show the rough exterior once again. "We're almost to your room." He said to Eugene. Eugene turned away from Dwight but gave him a dirty look before walking forward. Dwight deserved it. He only hoped that he was walking Eugene to a place where there was a happy ending in sight.

…

Sherry had a small backpack filled with belongings that she would need for their duration at Hilltop. She was unsure of how long they would be there but packed light regardless. If it was the worst case scenario and everyone died except her, she wanted to travel light just in case she needed to start a life on her own. When she left Deanna's house, she turned to face Alexandria and wondered if it was the last time she would see it. Alexandria was truly a paradise in their new world; one that gave her much happiness in the month that she had lived amongst the people. They had given her a fresh outlook on life that she didn't take for granted. Sherry always had some reservations but knew she could trust in some people once more.

She walked towards the grapevines and saw some buds coming from the trailing plants. She doubted that they would grow anything since she trimmed the vines later in the season but was still impressed to see some form of life that sprouted from the dirt. She touched one of the buds as a tear fell down her face. Deanna's enthusiasm for the grapevines was like everything else she seemed excited about for their future. She believed in a better world. Sherry wanted to have that same faith but felt herself holding back just in case heartache came with the disappointment. She had experienced the gut wrenching grief when life had failed her time and time again. Standing in the middle of the grapevines made her realize how much rode on whether or not they succeeded. It was always thought of but she seldom let the emotions in that came with that mindset.

Sherry quickly wiped at the tears and walked away from the garden that she helped nurture. She strolled towards the infirmary where she saw her friends waiting for her with their things on their backs.

"You ready to go?" Megan asked her with a hand outstretched.

Sherry looked around Alexandria once more and saw all the people loading their things for the small trip. Everything was quiet. There wasn't a buzz in the air with people going about their business. Everyone had a weight that they carried along with their things. She saw dozens of people yet she could hear nothing.

"I'm ready." Sherry said. With that, they walked towards the front gate.

…

"Having a good fucking time?" Negan asked as Eugene's smeared blood all over his face dripped down to the floor. He looked downcast while Negan tried to beat information out of him while Dwight and Carson idly stood by. Negan paced back and forth in front of Eugene as he let him stew about his dire bearings within Sanctuary. Dwight leaned against the wall to appear casual but stared at Lucille with knowing. Negan was playing hard ball.

"Just got word that your people hightailed it the fuck out of your little town early this morning. I guess blowing it all to fuck made it a little less quaint." Negan taunted with his half smirk. "We've got your most recent batch of ammo, so we know you can make it. Now we know all the fucking equipment we need is more or less abandoned." Negan knelt to be at eye line with Eugene as he wanted his next statement to be perfectly clear. "So you're going to get back to work and make that shit for us. Got it?"

Eugene looked up from the floor to glare at Negan. "No. I won't." He said firmly. Even Dwight could admit that it was a ballsy move to speak up to Negan like that.

Negan stood up and smiled to Dwight and Carson. "You hearing this shit?" He asked joyfully. He looked back to Eugene. "How many people did we capture from the ammo factory? Take a gander."

Eugene stayed silent as Negan continued to pace the floor around him. "Because right now I can see all of your friends in my head. I can also see me killing them; one by one. Right in front of you until you submit. I see you self-righteously believing more of your people will die if you give in which allows you to justify those deaths. But I see a whole lot more options in front of me. Care to hear?" Negan inquired in a light voice while Eugene stared back at his blood on the floor in front of him.

"I see me burning your face with an iron. I've done that before, that makes sense." Negan said evenly. Eugene quickly glanced up at Dwight who fidgeted in his spot and fought the urge to itch the uneven skin on his cheek by default.

"If that _still_ doesn't fucking do it, I'll start cutting pieces off of you. Starting with the piece of you that is most valued. And yet losing it wouldn't prevent you from doing your work." Negan stated while Eugene eyed him slightly then looked back down. Negan was happy to get some sort of reaction and continued. "That's right, you fat fuck. It's your shriveled up little dick."

Negan started swinging Lucille again as he spoke to Eugene. "That's the path that lies ahead for you. It's set in stone. The only thing you can do to stop it is cooperate. And I really fucking hope you do, because while Lucille is always thirsty… I don't want to get dirty, I don't want to have to deal with the mess, and I _really_ don't want to have to cut your dick off." Negan leaned forward while Eugene grimaced. "But I do things I don't want to do all the fucking time."

Eugene gulped as a tear fell out of one eye. Dwight shook his head to himself and hoped that he wasn't going to cave. The Saviors receiving ammunition would have been a less optimal ending for the other communities. Dwight couldn't see a way that they would have won. But then Eugene spoke up and stood tall on his knees to peer at Negan with every bit of intimidation that he had. "Rick is working toward something. He's building a life for all of us, including you if you'd back the fuck off. That's big. That's special. And I won't do anything to jeopardize that no matter how many genitals you sever."

The room stood frozen in time while Dwight waited for Negan's response. After several moments Negan sighed and stood up to leave the room. "Dwight, Carson. Let's leave this poor bastard alone with his thoughts and his dick while he still has it." Negan lamented and walked through the doorway. "Dwight, look this room up and check on all the others. Make sure they're not doing anything stupid. I'll see you boys in the morning bright and early."

Carson and Dwight stared at each other while Negan walked away. "You've been watching prisoners all day, Carson." Dwight uttered. "Take a load off."

"You sure?" Carson asked.

"Yeah, I'll be right at the house in a couple of minutes. Sounds like we're going to get up pretty early tomorrow." Dwight responded and poked his head out the doorway to see if any other Saviors were around.

"Alright," Carson caved. "See you in the morning."

Dwight watched him leave and double checked to see if he was absolutely alone with Eugene. When he looked five times each way in the hallway, he turned his attention to Eugene who practically sneered at him in disgust.

"Come on, don't look at me like that." Dwight muttered and leaned against the wall again. "My hands are tied with what I can do inside Sanctuary."

"Yeah?" Eugene countered. "How do I know that you aren't double crossing Rick? I have no reason to believe anything that you say."

"In case you forgot, I want Negan dead more than any of you guys in Alexandria." Dwight contested while trying to control his anger but stared at Eugene with wide eyes. "I'm doing everything I can on the inside to help out. As long as you aren't being a stupid jackass, I can try to get you and the others out of here. If you remember, I'm the reason why Sasha is still alive."

"Are you the reason why Negan is still alive?" Eugene interrogated. "Ever thought of walking into Negan's house while he's sleeping and stab him in the ear? If you were really on our side, this would have been over. At best, you're playing both sides, waiting to pick a winner."

Dwight felt physically pained at Eugene's accusation but tried his best to not act on the way he felt. He would only lash out in a way that he couldn't go back on. It was his natural inclination to get rid of whatever was bothering him no matter how fatal the result. To Dwight's dismay, Eugene continued. "If I get free, I'm going to take you out from behind. You'll never see it coming; just like how you killed Abraham. Only I'm thinking there won't be as many people out there who give a damn."

Dwight just stood there and let Eugene say what he needed to say. Once his anger dissolved, he concluded to himself that he wasn't above being reprimanded. More importantly, he needed to be reminded of the wrongs that he had done in the past. Even if it wasn't his fault, he pulled the trigger three hundred and thirty eight times for Negan. Some guilt had to be on him at that point. Dwight let out a huff and then looked to Eugene with repentance. "I'm not trying to say that I'm a good man or that I regret anything that I've done or that I've changed. I'm saying that I want what you want. Right now. Trust me, if I get the chance to put a knife in Negan's eye, I'll fucking do it. I'd kill that asshole today if I didn't think the Saviors would take my head for it. I'd…" Dwight slowed his speech when he noticed that Eugene was no longer looking at him but instead beyond him.

Dwight slowly turned around to face the doorway and saw Ryan standing there with his jaw agape. Dwight could already feel his hand raise to his gun strapped to his side so that Ryan wouldn't babble to anyone else what he had just heard. Ryan was a good person but Dwight was unsure of where he stood.

"I'm in!" Ryan said as he looked to Dwight warily and put his hands up in immediate surrender. Dwight eyed Ryan with skepticism but lowered his hand from his pistol. "Whatever you are planning against Negan, I'm in. I'm pretty sure there are others that would be too."

Upon hearing that, he looked to Eugene in disbelief. Eugene eyed both of them as him and Dwight stepped into territory of being unfriendly allies who needed to trust each other at that moment despite their mutual hatred. Dwight's situation felt more optimal as he then peered at Ryan.

"Do I have your word that you won't run your mouth to any loyal Saviors?" Dwight asked.

"Yes." Ryan answered. "You have my word."

 **AUTHOR'S NOTES, TRIVIA, & FACTS**

 **#1 – Some scenes and lines in this chapter are in the comic books. The scene where Negan interrogates Eugene in particular. Things have to be changed but other lines are just so iconically (I declare that a word now) Negan that they shouldn't be changed! It was too perfect.**

 **#2 – Sasha is ALIVE! Those who are familiar with the comics know that Abraham's main squeeze was a girl named Holly. Holly was in the first episode…and died… So Sasha took her place in the show. Most would say that it's safe to conclude that Sasha would take place in Holly's death in the comic books (where she does ram the truck into Sanctuary and then sent back to Alexandria's gate as a walker). But if you're asking my opinion, I think it'll be Tara who gets that death on the show. The irony of an enemy being at the gate's and she has been on the other side BOTH times (living and dead)…what a crazy complex. So I totally think it'll be Tara. What do you think?**

 **#3 – Again, I hope to write Chapter 11 by September 17** **th** **(Many Hearts to Tread's 2** **nd** **Anniversary). Might not be a big deal for anyone else but I'm so happy that writing has been a portion of my life that keeps me fulfilled.**


	11. Chapter 11

**AUTHOR'S NOTE – Chapter 11 rings in the 2** **nd** **Anniversary of the Many Hearts to Tread series! Wow! I just wanted to take this time to thank my readers. Every time I get a message or a review, it makes my heart flutter with joy. Thanks so much for every great compliment that has made me speed my writing process. Even during the times when I didn't have the writing bug! Thank you, thank you, thank you! And I love you! Enjoy the 11** **th** **chapter of Cruel World.**

Chapter 11

Ryan walked out of the wing of the court house as he looked around with nervousness. Already the secrecy made him feel skeptical of everyone around him. It was still some time before lunch as he quickly made his way down the stairs and started heading towards the mill to rally more men to Dwight's cause. He thought of men that made impatient comments about being fed up with Negan. The idea that Negan could have been overpowered seemed ludicrous. But he was tired of trying to fend for his family and give them the food and clothes that they needed.

As he walked towards the mill, his route went past Negan's house as he saw their leader sitting on the porch with a beer in hand. Ryan tried to avoid eye contact and could feel himself become red in the face as he almost started to hyperventilate from the overwhelming pressure. _Be strong, Ryan,_ he thought. _Everyone is counting on you._

He just stared dead panned at the sidewalk and successfully passed Negan's house. As he made the turn towards the mill, he heard Negan's front gate open and close while footsteps paced towards him. Ryan looked behind him and quickly saw Negan walking in his direction with a friendly smile and an unopened can of beer.

"Ryan, isn't it?" Negan inquired while handing Ryan the can.

"Uh, yeah." Ryan stammered. He almost felt flattered that Negan remembered his name.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Negan asked and nodded towards his house. "Step into my office and let's have a chat, alright?" Negan started walking away as Ryan was left to panic about what greeted him inside the house.

"Did I do something wrong?" Ryan asked innocently.

"Oh fuck no," Negan clarified while turning around to face him. "You just looked like you were in an awful fucking hurry to head towards the mill. I'm bored and I want to know what kind of plans you have going on today. Any kind of business that goes on in Sanctuary is worth my time, isn't it?"

"I suppose." Ryan said in a shaky voice.

"And if there is something going on that I don't know about…" Negan began while getting dangerously close to him. "I have a right to know. Don't I?"

"Why would something happen that you don't know about?" Ryan thought to ask but wasn't necessarily wanting an answer as he stared down at the ground.

"I have my suspicions." Negan revealed and put a hand on Ryan's shoulder. "Let's enjoy some beer in my office where I'm sure you can tell me all about it."

Ryan entered Negan's home and was immediately greeted by Negan who gestured for him to come into the living room. "Take a load off, soldier. How's your wife doing? Your kids holding up?" He asked nicely. Ryan was slightly shocked that Negan even knew that he had a family.

"Um, they are doing alright." Ryan said as stumbled over his words. "Sir, I don't understand why you suspect me of treason. I have served Sanctuary since I have been here without trouble." Ryan stayed standing up and was hoping that Negan would soon wave him off so he could go about his previous business.

Negan grinded his teeth but after several moments he smiled warmly. "Did you ever get a low down of what our community offers? What the other communities could offer?" Negan asked Ryan.

Ryan shook his head. "Not particularly. I was only told to join or die." He answered honestly.

Negan grinned even more upon his statement. "Nasty thing that nowadays we have to scare in order to add to our ranks. But how great would your family have lasted if you stayed outside of our walls? Answer me that." Negan tested. When Ryan shrugged while Negan scoffed and walked towards his kitchen. "You want a fucking picture painted out for you? I would love to one day see the communities work together without fighting each other. It was like that for a long time too. They gave us half of their shit and then we would protect them from herds. That was our deal and it worked. Then some shit stain comes and ruins all of that. Livestock, produce, various other shit that they find are no longer given to us. Going back on deals isn't something that should be admired, rather it should be eradicated. See, I'm not the only one who suffers on the selfishness of other communities. It's my people that go without food for months. You said you have two daughters, right?" Negan asked.

Ryan nodded as he wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Yeah, Lorraine and Lydia." He responded.

"Lorraine was my mother's name." Negan beamed with fondness. "Have you ever heard children cry themselves to sleep because they are starving to death?"

Ryan's lip quivered at the thought as it had been every night where his children were desperate to have more food. He couldn't respond and only nodded an answer.

"My family and I went through a rough patch. We were all still living at home and my mom remarried and had a shit load of other kids. My sister also lived with us with her son which added to the crazy. My new daddy beat the fuck out of us and was a dead beat loser. No money for food. I would hear my nephew cry every night desperate for something; anything." Negan told. "I get how bad that feels to not do anything about it."

Ryan started to wipe at the tears forming in his eyes as he stayed silent. Negan continued, "Like I was saying before, I feel like something isn't right among the ranks and I have a feeling of where it all begins. I just saw you come out of the court house which also raises my suspicions as to who it is. He's been a great soldier but his time is coming to a close and I need another man to take his place. Someone more loyal who sees the grand picture for what it is." Negan walked towards Ryan as Ryan shook at his presence. "What do you say? All you have to do is give me a name."

Ryan glanced up to Negan as he panted in fear. He knew Dwight was a better person but was unsure of his odds against Negan's forces. He contemplated that his family had a better shot at survival if Negan remained in charge. However, he didn't want to turn his back on a person that he knew was a greater man.

"All I need is a fucking name." Negan said in a friendly way while Ryan continued to feel conflicted about his future and what it would bring.

…

Sherry played with the fringe on the edge of her jacket as it was starting to fray from too much wear. She sat on the front seat of the truck with her legs on the dashboard while Carol drove the vehicle towards Hilltop. The truck was able to load the most of the items that belonged to the Alexandrian's. Everyone attempted to pack as light as they could with as little of vehicles as possible so space was limited on their journey. Most of their food was in the bed of the truck that Carol drove.

Carol rode behind everyone else as they took the long route towards Hilltop. The truck that Carol drove had to be as old as Sherry but it was one of the only working vehicles that they had. Sherry looked around the white truck as all the parts in the truck appeared to be falling off or completely gone. It ran like an old lemon and the more they drove, the bigger the distance was to the cars in front of them. It didn't worry Sherry too much since they had a walkie-talkie. They were at least able to let the people in front of them know that their car was sincerely lagging.

Sherry sensed some discomfort within the truck as a silence befell between the two women. Wondering who was going to cave first to the overwhelming silence, Sherry continued to toy with her jacket sleeve as if nothing bothered her. If Carol wanted to discuss something, Sherry was determined that she would be the first one to speak.

They drove in silence as more time passed. Carol would often glance in Sherry's direction with a light smile and then focus on the road once more. Every time that Carol did that, Sherry would look out the window to avoid eye contact. She didn't understand why she was so agitated by the attention but the stares weren't helping her nerves.

"Not a lick of sunlight, is there?" Carol commented as she looked up to the gray sky.

"What?" Sherry said breathlessly as she looked at Carol wide-eyed as if the spotlight was immediately on her before she processed exactly what Carol had even said. When she realized that Carol only mentioned weather, her face reddened at her erratic response. She decided to try and recover from her outburst and looked up to the sky. "Yeah, it's nice." She mumbled quietly and then sat back in her seat. She put her feet down from the dashboard and stared out the window in silence once more.

Carol didn't respond for another minute as she just nodded her head. Sherry couldn't fathom what was on her mind but knew it was on the tip of her tongue. She didn't understand why she feared what Carol would say to her. Many times, she discussed important conversations with Rick and Sasha. Sherry respected Carol as well; she even went as far to admit that Carol scared her. She didn't understand where the jitters came from. Carol hadn't given her any reason to be afraid once they had gotten to know each other. She had helped Sherry so much in the past.

"Did you see the flower petals on the graves before we left Alexandria?" Carol asked making light conversation once more.

"Yeah, I think Terri's boys and Jenna did that." Sherry replied while still looking out her side window. "It was a tradition that one of our old group members had in her family and she passed it onto us."

"It's a sweet sentiment." Carol acknowledged as Sherry held her breath for what was going to be said next. She didn't understand why she was able to read Carol so well. Perhaps it was Carol's uncanny knack of concern like a mother. "Has Negan beat you so hard that you passed out, Sherry?" Carol inquired out of the blue. Sherry took a sharp breath and then understood why she was scared of Carol. The older woman knew too much about her personal demons from an outward prospective and the thought unnerved Sherry.

"Yes." Sherry answered with no emotion while staring at the paved road as it flew under their car.

"How many times do you think he's hit you?" Carol asked without hesitation.

Sherry started fidgeting in her seat feeling immediately uncomfortable by the questions. "You lose track after a while." She relayed while some flashbacks presented themselves in her mind.

"Ed used to beat me after long nights of being at the bar." Carol revealed. Sherry looked to her with understanding. She didn't have to know exactly who Ed was. Sherry knew who he was by the way Carol spoke of him in a less fond manner. "I would tell my daughter to hide underneath her bed the second I heard his car pull into the driveway." Carol looked at her hands on the wheel while reliving the memory. "It's the weird things that stick with you after all the years of damage." She glanced at Sherry. "I bet you still locked the door to your bedroom at Terri's house. You didn't _have_ to but you did it anyways. Or you remember the times where your body didn't feel so stiff all the time. When was the last time you let your shoulders just slouch down?"

Sherry tried to take a deep breath to let her body relax but it went back to being tense due to habit. "It's a work in progress." Sherry uttered and sighed. "How long has it been since Ed last beat you?" She asked knowing Carol wasn't going to be offended since she brought him up in the first place. Sherry also wanted to gauge where she was in the process stages and wondered how much longer she had to look some semblance of normal.

"He died several months after the outbreak. Maybe weeks. We didn't really keep track of the time during that first year. Everything was just based on surviving." Carol replied. "But you know something? All the years that have gone by… I still have to watch my back almost as if I'm waiting for him to come back and finish me off."

Sherry started feeling some remorse for herself as she thought of the last month outside of Sanctuary. It had been hell to think of Negan coming at any moment of the day to do the same thing that Carol had feared for her own well-being. "You don't seem that scared." Sherry challenged quietly. Truthfully, Sherry felt herself lacking in comparison.

"In my life I have discovered that people can be all sorts of emotions at once." Carol disclosed. "Some emotions are well-hidden with years of practice but they are still there underneath the surface. You grow and you become a stronger person because of it."

"You're a better person because of it?" Sherry asked.

"I didn't say better. That alludes that I'm a good person. I said _stronger._ " Carol clarified. Sherry wasn't sure what to think of the statement but decided to keep her mouth shut. She didn't even want to know what Carol had done in the past that made her no longer a good person. "We do the things we do to take care of the ones we love. Being with people means that we have to kill for them. And if that's the price that we have to pay then we do it."

Sherry nodded in agreement as she thought of all her past kills. She couldn't say that she necessarily regretted killing them but that they were all for the betterment of her group or herself. She wanted her group to live and to receive justice for their lives when they were trapped inside such a hopeless place such as Sanctuary. None of the community members deserved to have the Saviors tie them down and keep them from the hope they had before Sanctuary invaded their livelihood.

Just then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw someone near the forest by the road with a gun drawn. "Carol," she warned and pointed to the source. Carol watched as more Saviors emerged from the forest and started shooting out their tires. Sherry then heard a loud pop underneath her feet as the wheel burst into multiple fragments. Carol immediately lost control of the vehicle as the car began to tip on its side. Sherry held onto whatever she could find to steady herself and watched as the world outside the truck began to careen out of its horizontal state and then quickly roll into complete chaos. Sherry shut her eyes closed as the windshield shattered and her window beside her followed suite. There wasn't any time to act as she could only hope that she would make it out of the crash alive.

The car stopped rolling as it landed on its side. Sherry slowly opened her eyes as blood spilled off her face. Where the source came from, she didn't know. She was mainly focused on her body being suspended from the ground with her seatbelt holding her into place. Sherry looked around and saw beneath her that Carol was still in the driver's seat but not responsive. Carol then glanced around in a daze as Sherry could see the left side of her face was bloodied from possibly skidding on the concrete with her shattered window. Sherry then heard voices outside of the car and knew that they weren't out of danger just yet.

Sherry let her legs drop to the side as she propped her legs around Carol's body so she could undo her seatbelt without falling in a heap on top of the wounded woman. Once Sherry was satisfied with her placement, she unbuckled the seat belt and tried to catch herself on anything to steady the out of control motion. The she bent down low above Carol as Carol started to moan in pain.

"Shh…shh…shh…" Sherry repeated as she observed Carol's side. With her hands bloodied, she quickly observed that Carol had a piece of the shifter protruding from her lower back. Sherry looked to her side to see that the shifter knob was completely missing and had broken off from the crash and was shoved into Carol's side. Sherry debated whether or not to pull it out but decided stealth was the most important thing for both of them so they could make it out alive versus giving Carol some relief. Sherry then thought of calling for some backup on the walkie-talkie but couldn't see that the device was anywhere in the cab.

"Shit, is she dead?" She heard one Savior shout to another.

"Boss won't be too happy about that, would he?" One man responded. "We're gonna be in fucking deep shit!"

Carol's eyes started rolling to the back of her head while Sherry tried to think of what to do. She looked around the cab as quietly as she could and saw Carol's assault rifle underneath her legs. Sherry closed her eyes and felt resolved about what she had to do to get herself and Carol out of their situation. She didn't enjoy killing others but knew there were times when an exception came along. She could hear feet shuffle outside of the truck as they closed in on her location slowly just in case she acted in violence.

She quietly grabbed the gun as it made a small noise while hitting the side of the dashboard. "Oh, thank Jesus!" Someone exclaimed. "At least one of them is alive. Maybe it's her."

"Well, let's collect her and take her back to the boss. You know what he said about rations being doubled." She heard. Sherry recognized that voice but couldn't exactly place who it was without a face to go by. She checked to see if the gun was loaded and was gratified to see that the magazine was completely full.

"Come out, you little bitch." A Savior boomed. "We promise to bring you back in one piece."

"Can't guarantee the same for you." Sherry muttered to herself and gave one last glance towards Carol. She hoped that she would hold out just for several more minutes while she gathered strength to take care of the Saviors that stood in their way. She popped her head out quickly from the broken window above her and then aimed her gun towards the men.

"Don't shoot!" The man shouted who Sherry had previously recognized his voice. It was the man who they saw before when they tore down Sanctuary's front gate. She remembered his name being Ryan. "Listen, Negan just wants to talk with you. I'm sure we can figure out a way that we all go back to Sanctuary peacefully and with no trouble. Think we can work something out?"

"I'm leaning towards my answer being an emphatic _no._ " Sherry declared in a flat tone while keeping her sights on the man that was the closest to her. "I'm not going back there."

"Negan wanted us to tell you that your time with the communities is all used up." One Savior piped up. "He's summoned you back and we won't leave here without collecting his personals."

Sherry scoffed and didn't lower her gun. If she went anywhere, Carol would have been alone until the other Alexandrian's figured out that they were in distress. Sherry didn't even know when they would have been clued in at that their trip to Hilltop became more perilous.

"What do you say, Mrs. Negan?" One Savior with the mustache commented. "You ready to go back home?"

"Nope." Sherry said confidently and shot the man that was closest to her in the cheekbone as he went flying backwards from the force. The men started running away to get better cover until she ran out of ammunition. They weren't going to shoot at her for fear of hurting what Negan had wanted. They had to run to their car or behind trees as Sherry had plenty of time to kill them off before they even made it to their destination.

Sherry would shoot at the ones that were faster runners which were almost to their hiding spots as they each hit the ground running. Sherry made sure not to waste any bullets as she took calm and careful aim towards the men that threatened her. Rain started to fall while Sherry continued her rampage against the men who were hell bent on taking her back to Sanctuary.

"Fuck this shit!" One Savior yelled as he cocked his gun.

"Shit." Sherry muttered as she hid back in the truck while he opened fire. Bullet holes quickly riddled the truck's roof while Sherry stayed low and tried to shield Carol if any bullets flew through the metal. They were lucky as the bullets fell silent.

"What the fuck are you doing, Kyle?!" Ryan shouted. "The boss doesn't want her fucking dead!"

"Fuck Negan!" The Savior replied while Sherry could hear him reloading. "I'm out for myself now."

Sherry took advantage of his time fidgeting with his gun and popped back up to shot him. She got his shoulder as he fell in a heap. Sherry didn't waste any more valuable time and then shot him in the gut and then in his neck. Two men were left as they stood confused as to what they could do. Sherry stayed stalwart in her stance as they waited for whatever outcome.

"What is it that you want?" Ryan asked. "I'm sure that Negan could make you an offer that would be optimal for everyone."

"What I want is something that he can never give." Sherry revealed while pointing her gun at him.

"Negan's a reasonable man." Ryan conveyed while taking a couple steps closer. "Just please come with us and I promise that we'll come to an agreement that suits you and him."

Sherry was finished with their conversation and shot him in the chest. He fell back as Sherry climbed out of the truck while looking around to see if any other Saviors were waiting in the shadows. When she jumped out of the truck, she started walking towards Ryan while the other Savior tried to reason with her one last time.

"Listen… if you would just come with us…" The Savior said desperately while trying to walk in stride with Sherry while she stalked towards Ryan. Sherry wasn't having it and shot him twice as he yelled in agony and fell to his knees. She heard a plop behind her as he had face planted to the ground. Sherry kept her anger towards Ryan who made it seem like everything was going to be fine when she returned to Sanctuary. If only he had known.

Ryan spit out some blood as he stood on all fours trying to recover. Tears dripped from his eyes as his cheeks were soaked with dirt and blood. He looked towards Sherry with agony and regret as she crept towards him with purpose.

"Don't!" Ryan pleaded. "I just wanted to be favored by Negan like Dwight was."

"Why?" Sherry asked with infuriation. "What are you trying to do?"

Ryan tried to choose his words carefully but knew it would be for not. "I only wanted food to provide for my family. I didn't want everything to go this far." He confessed.

"Yet you led how many Saviors to come pick me up?" Sherry questioned as she kicked him in the stomach. He tumbled over to his back as rain fell upon his face. Blood seeped out of his mouth and fell to the concrete below while Sherry only watched. "I find that hard to believe." She finished.

"Dwight." Ryan muttered. "He knows about him."

Sherry's pulse started on its incline as she kneeled down to hear him over the downpour. "What did you say?" She asked worried that she heard him incorrectly.

"Dwight… I sold him out." Ryan stated while looking into Sherry's eyes with guilt. "Negan knows about him fighting for Alexandria."

Sherry could feel herself shaking when she heard Ryan say the words as she looked around the forest with misgivings. She turned around to peer at the tipped over truck that Carol was still inside and then stared at the highway that led to Sanctuary. "Where is Dwight?!" She pressed with her voice rising while turning her attention back to Ryan who was bleeding out.

Ryan whimpered as he looked to Sherry with an apologetic overcast. "I'm sorry…" He said grimly as Sherry feared the worst. "I just wanted my family to have a happier life."

"By killing _my_ family?" Sherry exasperated as she thought of Dwight. Her heart seized at the thought of him dead that it made her gasp for breath. She put her index finger and thumb to her temples as she tried to mentally process the worst news ever given to her. Tears erupted as she hadn't felt a worse betrayal since Haruki. Anger started boiling up inside as she looked at the gun then glared towards Ryan.

"I'm so sorry." Ryan whispered as he looked up to the sky in his weakly state.

"So am I." Sherry muttered as she pointed the gun at his forehead and fired without a second thought. The noise blared as his head snapped back from the force and blood flowed out just above his eyebrow.

Sherry stood up and looked towards the direction of Sanctuary. She didn't know whether to believe Dwight was dead or not. She couldn't even fathom the idea of living her life without him there by her side. Somehow, she always figured he would be. The thought terrorized her mind as she put both hands to the side of her head and faced downwards at the concrete below. _Rise above it, Sher,_ she thought to herself. _If he's dead, he would want you to take control of yourself. Just focus on the present and hope for the best._

She hoped he was alive. If he was alive, Negan would eventually make him pay for his misdeeds in the near future. Sherry knew Negan all too well. A hit like the one Dwight had given him would result in death. Sherry openly cried at the thought but started walking towards Carol's truck to help her and focus on getting to Hilltop. "We're still here." Sherry said softly as she heard a car heading towards them on the highway. She turned around to see it was Rick's van that he would often drive when they were in transit with a lot of people. Relieved that she and Carol weren't alone for long, she limped to the truck where Carol laid. "We're still here."

…

Dwight was uncertain of where Ryan went after he agreed for him to be on their side. He didn't know whether to trust Ryan but wasn't sure if he had any other choice. Dwight didn't have any reason to suspect the young father and was sure that Ryan valued the cause that they had stood for.

Hoping that Ryan would stay strong for however long the war would last, he left the court house and started towards his home to have a brief amount of down time. He strode the distance as he looked at what was left of Sherry's old house. He could only identify a pile of burnt wood and part of its foundation buried underneath. From what Dwight understood from one of the Saviors who raided the house and the people inside, Sherry was the one who sent it up in flames. He almost felt a small sense of pride in the fact that she had done something so drastic to get her friends out of a terrible situation. Still not knowing all the details, Dwight remained impressed regardless.

When Dwight walked into his house, there was complete silence. He half expected his housemates would be present but there was no one to be found. Just then, he heard muffled laughter up in his room as he gazed up at the stairs to see the source. His bedroom door was partially closed as he occasionally saw a silhouette pacing back and forth while it continued in outbursts of amusement. Dwight perceived who it was and reluctantly walked up to confront him.

Dwight opened the door as he saw Negan take a seat on his bed while Sherry's letters to Dwight were strewn across the floor. Negan looked up to him with a smile as if he wasn't doing anything out of the ordinary and almost appeared like he was inviting Dwight to have a laugh with him.

"' _Dear Dwight,'_ blah blah fuckity blah _. ' I hate it here. My parents would be humiliated to know what my outcome has been throughout all of this. I mean, they would understand and know it wasn't really my fault but if they knew, I feel like my dad would be charging those gates now and try to take Sanctuary on all by himself.'"_ Negan looked up with skepticism. "Well, he was a cop so maybe he would have just proven to be useful as one of my men instead. He could have joined in the ranks!" Negan read on as he tried to find another paragraph that interested him. "' _I want to believe that we will get out of Sanctuary sometime soon. I just don't want to get my hopes up, ya know? After last time, I don't want anyone else to die because of me. I don't think I could take it if another member of our group was killed. Sincerely, Sherry.'"_

"Are you done?" Dwight growled as he leaned against his wall. He was growing tired of Negan's games but Negan sneaking into his room and going through his things was something that he had yet to do before. Dwight considered it a low but was actually surprised Negan didn't do it previously.

"No, I still have a couple more letters to read if you care to join me." Negan informed and reached for another letter. "That's cute that you marked each letter with a number so I can follow the letters in chronological order of when you got them. Makes my job easier."

Dwight exhaled loudly to express how Negan's trick to get under his skin worked. "You going to take another toe off for these?" Dwight inquired sarcastically.

"Depends… I'm guessing these letters were before I branded your fucking face, am I right?" Negan quizzed. Dwight nodded his answer. "Then you're off the hook." Negan responded and brought the letter up closer to his face so he could read Sherry's small font. "Ya know, most of these things that she told you about where she was from… where her grandma lived… her religion and her family's nationality… ballet… She told me these things. It took a lot of coaxing and I fought to really get to know her but she finally let me in; physically and figuratively speaking, that is." Dwight bristled in his place at Negan's comment as Negan glanced up to him with a playful look. "That still a tough pill to swallow, isn't it?"

Dwight didn't respond but grinded his teeth instead. Negan scoffed then looked back down at the letter. "I enjoyed being with Sherry. I loved being with her actually. But I'll let you in on something I haven't really told you before. I think I took pleasure in making you jealous even more. Just seeing your face whenever I talked about her with me…" Negan peered at Dwight and smiled wide. "Hey, you have that same look now. It's fucking priceless. But now I know you lied about something."

"Lied about what?" Dwight quipped while Negan only rolled his eyes.

"You said you were over her. Clearly, you aren't even fucking close. Not by a long shot." Negan said and moved onto the next letter. "And she was never over you. That one was more obvious. But she liked me enough." Dwight made a noise of disbelief. "Don't believe me? Well, I guess you don't have a reason to."

Dwight did know that Sherry cared for Negan if even in the smallest measurement. She had confessed that to him when they were both at the Kingdom. Some envy arose within Dwight when she had said it but he understood why she tried to acclimate to her situation. Dwight didn't appreciate Negan for making her care but he accepted her reasoning behind it.

Negan carefully folded the letter back up and then picked up the other ones off the floor. "Well, if it makes you sleep better at night, you can keep these. I have no use for them." Negan said and handed them all to Dwight.

Dwight looked at the letters and wondered if there was some trick up Negan's sleeve if he took them. Regardless if there was, he reached for them anyways and put them in his jacket pocket for temporary safekeeping since his room felt a little less secure.

Negan looked out the window as it started to rain and then at Dwight. "We're going to have a little meeting at the mill to discuss our next attack at Hilltop. We'll come full force tomorrow but I have a feeling I might stump them all with our next strategy. After the meeting, I need you to come to my house where I have a specific job for you to do at Hilltop when everything goes down. And it has to be you and nobody else." Negan directed while they both walked out of Dwight's room.

Dwight sighed but nodded his head. "Sounds good." He said in no particular tone other than somewhat tired of the constant strategy conversations that seemed to consume his time.

Negan picked up on the way Dwight said it and looked to him. "With your help, this will be our last fight with them. Then, I'll have you know, you'll be relieved of duty as my second hand man."

Dwight stopped and gave Negan a puzzled look. "What?" He questioned.

"I said you don't have to be my second hand man anymore. Isn't that what you wanted this whole fucking time?" Negan asked. "You helped enough. You can settle down and put your feet up once this is all over."

Dwight felt surprised and wondered what would compel Negan to come to a decision such as that. Immediately feeling wary, he still gave Negan a doubtful look.

"I'll catch you up to speed when you come to my house after the meeting, alright? We'll get into more details about your demotion." Negan said with a too friendly smile as they walked out of the house and towards the mill. That same feeling overcame Dwight. The same feeling that he had two years ago when Negan returned from overthrowing the Kingdom. Two years ago, everything fell apart. Dwight could sense it. Somehow Negan knew. Dwight was quick to suspect Ryan. He didn't have a reason to distrust Mark or Carson with their equal efforts to make sure Negan was stopped. They, as well as Dwight, had too much at stake for the cause they rallied for. Takuya would have never turned his back on Dwight. Dwight knew it had to be Ryan who opened his big mouth.

Negan and Dwight both walked in silence the rest of the way towards the mill as an abundant silence grew loud in between them. Dwight even wondered if the rest of his face would have been ironed within the next ten minutes and he was just heading to his own ceremony for it.

When they made it to the mill, he saw several people wrangling walkers to be chained against one of the longer walls. The Saviors were even enjoying having a little fun with kicking in some of the walkers legs so they would limp a little bit more. Dwight glanced quickly around the room and didn't see Takuya in sight. Dwight made sure Eugene and Sasha were on constant watch and left Mark and Carson to protect them. All of his group members were accounted for besides Takuya.

"Have you seen Tak?" Dwight asked Negan as he still stayed at his side.

"Can't really say." Negan grumbled as he gazed around to feign concern. "I guess no one gave the Jap a memo." Negan patted Dwight on the shoulder and walked towards the Saviors and into the center of the room. Dwight made his way to the front of the crowd and mentally counted how many men were there. Even the men that were supposed to be on guard were also in attendance. Dwight saw at least a hundred men that stood at the ready on Negan's signal.

"Good morning, Saviors! Thanks for gathering for me so early today!" Negan said even though Dwight figured it was more around eleven o'clock. "Look what we have here!" He gestured towards the walkers that lined the wall behind him. "I know it seems fucking crazy to have undead fucks inside the walls but these beauties are the lynchpin of our war plans going forward. Believe it or not, these things are going to help us win this fucking war."

There were nods of approval and obvious stares of awe while Negan continued his influence on the men. Dwight just folded his arms at the front of the group and looked at the others who fell for Negan's show presentation.

"You all know how this shit works. You get a bite, you get any kind of wound from these things, something from them gets in you and you fucking die. We're all infected. We all have this to look forward to when we kick the bucket. We know this." Negan continued, "But for some goddamn reason, one of these things bites us… No matter how minor an injury it would otherwise fucking be – the fever sets in. That fever burns us the fuck out. Makes us one of them faster then we'd planned to be. Which fucking sucks."

Negan walked closer to one of the walkers as it snarled in his direction. "That's the dangerous world we're living in. But we're going to use it to our advantage!" Negan placed Lucille on the walker's shoulder as the walker protested with hunger. "You see this? Look at it…watch how I'm just getting in there…rubbing all up in its grill. Lucille is getting to know this sorry sack of dead flesh. Sorry Lucille." Negan said with the last sentence more of a mumble. Dwight watched as he twisted Lucille in the walker's dead skin and muscles as the baseball bat became more and more reddened with rotten blood.

"Now look at this!" Negan shouted while raising his bat up for everyone to see. "The new and improved, better than before, all awesome and abso-fucking-lutely deadly Lucille! I don't have to crush your head or pound your face through the back of your skull anymore. The slightest touch from Lucille...just a kiss…and she's left her mark."

Negan pointed a finger at each of his men as he beheld all of them. "We're going to do this with all our weapons. We're going to gunk them up. We're going to have space-aged zombie bacteria weapons at our disposal." Negan encouraged as he gave a face that Dwight had never seen. Negan was out for blood and he didn't care who he stopped to get it. "And we're going to kill every fucking last fucking one of these ungrateful fucks. Load 'em up!"

…

Sherry kept pressure on Carol's wound all the way until they made it to Hilltop. Rick, Daryl, and Carl were the only ones in the van when they had pulled up to come to their rescue. With Daryl's help, they got the shifting knob out of Carol's side which sent her into shock as she fought for breath and her body laid tense. Sherry held one of Carol's hands to hold her still while Daryl did the same as they each took turns compressing her leg.

"I need something else for the blood." Sherry urged. It was only thirty minutes ago that she took her own jacket off to give to Carol. Now only wearing her jeans and a black tank, she looked to see if there was any piece of cloth that could be used to help. The amount of blood that Carol had lost was astonishing. Sherry couldn't focus on how awful the wound itself looked but instead zeroed in on saving her life.

Daryl started taking his own leather jacket off as they felt the car slow upon arrival to Hilltop. Carl watched them take care of Carol from the front seat as he stared on in horror. They had lost too many people and Sherry refused to have Carol be another name on that list.

"We're here." Rick said as he pulled the car past the gates and straight towards the mansion. Once the car stopped completely, Sherry opened the side door and reached for both of Carol's legs. Carol had since passed out and her body fell limp. Sherry waited for Daryl to adjust himself to carry Carol's under arms and to find his bearings as they stepped out of the car with Carol in between them.

"Two steps behind you." Daryl instructed as Sherry practically jogged backwards into the mansion while still supporting Carol's legs. Sherry took the stairs and made it into the nicely furnished house without any more thought.

"Where's the doctor?!" Rick demanded as he hurried his pace behind them.

One man stood at the top of the stairs and gestured with his hand to join him on the second floor. "Please, please, come with me! The Kingdom's doctor is here! He has more experience with this kind of wound." He explained with hope in his voice.

"No!" Daryl barked angrily but Sherry started taking the stairs anyways while Daryl followed. Sherry glanced at him with surprise as Daryl's nose flared. "Not him!" He argued.

"Mr. Dixon, I'm only an obstetrician. I can fix things here and there but the fact of the matter is that Doctor Edwards knows far more about this than I do." The man said as Sherry presumed it was Carson's brother and resident doctor of Hilltop. "If you want this woman to live, you need to think about her well-being and not doctor preferences." Doctor Carson reasoned.

"Daryl, he's a good doctor." Rick reasoned behind Daryl. "Harlan is right. We can't fucking afford preferences right now."

Sherry and Daryl made it to the farthest room in the upstairs hallway and saw a twin size bed in the small room. They carefully laid her down as Sherry went back to applying pressure with Daryl's jacket. Another man walked into the room as Daryl made a noise of loathing. The doctor only stared at him but then focused his gaze on Carol. Doctor Edwards seemed to be stuck between a rock and a hard place as he wanted to start investigating the wound but Daryl stood in front of both Carol and Sherry in almost a protective stance. Sherry just kept her hand over Daryl's jacket to help stop the bleeding but even his attitude was messing with her ability to concentrate. Sherry was reading his behavior and her mind wanted to act the same way as he did with her own defense mechanism but she tried to swallow it down and be there for Carol instead.

Terri then walked in and was ready for action as she looked at the standoff in passing. "Daryl, things will be better for Carol if you leave the room. Let him focus and let him save her. Please!" Terri begged as she put a hand on Daryl's shoulder. "Sherry," Terri said to get Sherry's attention and to help Daryl leave their makeshift operating room.

Sherry quickly took her hands off Carol's side and stepped out of the room to let Terri take her place. She stopped at the doorway and turned to see if Daryl was following. He just stood there staring at the doctor who didn't move from his spot.

"You try anythin' and I'll kill you." Daryl muttered and stormed out of the room while Sherry closed the door behind them. Sherry didn't expect Daryl to stick around as he quickly walked down the stairs to lower his stress.

Sherry wanted to cry with everything that she had felt. Her life felt pretty dismal at the news of Ryan betraying Dwight. The more that she thought about it, she wondered if being in Sanctuary was all it took to save Dwight from his doomed fate. It made her want to cry even more at the fact that she was only wasting time being in Hilltop.

"Doctor Edwards and Daryl don't get along," Rick started who suddenly appeared next to her. Sherry heard what he said but her mind was made up and she needed to leave. "Sherry?" He asked when she didn't respond back to him.

She limped out of the hallway and down the stairs as she peered to Rick. "I need the keys to the van." She instructed as she barged towards the front door.

"For what?" Rick asked as he followed her outside in the rain. "We just got here!"

"Rick, the Saviors didn't attack me and Carol randomly!" Sherry disclosed in terror. "Negan sought me out and told his thugs to come find me."

"That hasn't changed anything. We need you here! You can't go back to Sanctuary." Rick argued.

"Dammit, Rick." Sherry whispered in frustration. "Negan knows about Dwight! He knows about him helping us out! Just please give me the fucking keys!"

"I don't have them." Rick confessed. "I gave them to Carl."

Sherry started walking inside the mansion to retrieve the keys but Rick caught her arm. Sherry raised her other arm towards him not scared in the slightest to slap him across the face. "Negan will kill Dwight, Rick. If I am able to help in any way, I need to go!" She pleaded.

"So you could just watch Dwight die instead?" Rick pressed as Sherry could feel the devastation take over. "Dwight wouldn't want you there and you know that's true! What if you get there and it's already too late?"

"I don't know that!" Sherry said as the tears came. She stopped fighting as she looked at her surroundings. There were so many things that she had to tell him and the thought of running out of time was too much. Even the thought of him being dead was unbelievable. Just when there was a chance that they could potentially be together, the hope was squandered away if he wasn't alive to be there. "What if…" Sherry started to say as reality started to sink in.

Negan was spiteful as she had always known him to be. He hardly gave second chances when members screwed up on a grand scale. Sherry knew it wasn't Dwight's first offense. Countless times he had sacrificed his life for the well-being of others even when it opposed Negan's new world order. If Negan knew that Dwight tarnished that world order beyond repair, Negan wouldn't keep him around; no matter how valuable of a leader Dwight was.

"What if he's already gone?" Sherry finished as she sat on the mansion's front steps letting the grief take over completely. Sherry put her face in her hands and let herself cry. She loved Dwight. The loss in her life stung more than any other death that she had experienced before. Dwight was hers and the void that she had felt with him not being in her life for the last two years wasn't nearly as bad as the emptiness in her heart while in Hilltop.

"I won't allow you to leave, Sherry." Rick said quietly. Sherry felt Rick sit down beside her and put an arm on her back while she sobbed even more. Everything had less meaning if Dwight wasn't able to reap the benefits of a life without Negan as well as she was going to in the future. Without Dwight, all the sacrifices no longer seemed worth it.

…

Dwight looked at the letter that he had quickly jotted out on his desk before he headed out towards the court house. Negan had been waiting for Dwight to come to his house but Dwight hadn't made it there and wasn't going to be there until he finalized some things before. Satisfied that the letter went over everything that he wanted to say, he stuffed in his pocket along with the other letters that Sherry had written him two years previously.

Dwight practically ran to the court house and up to the rooms where Sasha & Eugene were held. He heard some people talking in the hallway and then saw Mark and Carson outside of Eugene's room conversing amongst themselves while Eugene would respond here and there. When Mark and Carson saw Dwight, they stood alert and were quickly alarmed at Dwight's disposition.

"Dwight, what's wrong?" Carson inquired while Eugene stuck his head out of his room to see what the problem was. Dwight felt a cold sweat coming as he rubbed his forehead and stopped in front of his group. Sasha walked to her doorway and looked to Dwight with worry.

"Where's Takuya?" Dwight asked them quickly.

Carson and Mark looked to each other and shrugged. "I haven't seen him all morning." Mark revealed.

"Fuck!" Dwight muttered and paced the hallway in thought. He then looked to Mark and Carson as everything that he worked for began to unravel. "You guys need to leave. All of you." He stated as they gazed at him with sudden fear.

"Why? What's going on?" Sasha asked as she walked into the hallway.

"Negan knows." Dwight confessed. "He knows about me going behind his back to fight for Rick."

"He's told you this?" Carson questioned with wide eyes. Dwight knew that it was going to put everyone who conspired against Negan in potential risk.

"No, I just have a gut feeling." Dwight said quietly as he kept looking towards the entrance of the wing with superstition.

"How would he even find out?" Mark asked with a shaky voice.

"Ryan." Eugene answered and looked to Dwight. "When's the last time you saw him?"

"I saw him leave Sanctuary with several men on business a few hours ago." Carson revealed. "I thought it looked out of the ordinary that he was leading men somewhere but I didn't think anything of it at the time. How does Ryan know about us?"

"He heard me talking to Eugene." Dwight admitted. "I just didn't think he would squeal this early. Or at all."

"He was a desperate son of a bitch." Mark uttered and looked to Dwight. "But wouldn't you be in his situation too?"

Dwight gulped down his pride and nodded halfheartedly. He then looked to Mark and Carson. "We're leaving for Hilltop at first light. Negan suspects that it'll be the last showdown before he takes over. If what I think is going to happen in the next twenty minutes, you two need to lay low. I'll tell him that I sent you guys on an errand. Do any other Saviors particularly know that you are here?" He asked them solemnly.

Carson shook his head but looked to Dwight with seriousness. "Dwight, what do you think is going to happen in the next several minutes?"

Dwight reached into his pocket and handed Carson the letters that Sherry sent him along with the new and short letter he had written to her only moments before. "Please give these to Sherry when you can." Dwight insisted. "The Saviors leave at first light, Sanctuary will be pretty much abandoned save for some outposts that are on the way to Hilltop. Negan has called all of the Saviors to the front gates of Hilltop. Stay low until then. When we are gone, you guys should be in the clear to make it the long way towards Hilltop and maybe get there in time to help with the cause."

Carson took the letters and stared at Dwight with shock. "Will you be there, Dwight?" He asked.

"I don't know." Dwight answered quietly and put a hand on Carson's shoulder. "Please make sure Sasha and Eugene leave this place alive." He looked to the Alexandrian's with regret. "Just wish I could have helped more."

"Dwight, just lay low with us." Sasha suggested. "You don't have to give up like this."

"Takuya is missing and has been gone all day. If there is any chance that Negan has captured him then I can't leave him behind." Dwight said firmly. "Good luck, you guys. Hopefully you will all see this battle to the end and come out on top." With that, he walked out of the hallway to meet his fate.

 **AUTHOR'S NOTES, TRIVIAS, & FACTS**

 **#1 – The "we're still here" line that Sherry says after killing Ryan is an homage to when Dwight said it after taking Haruki's life. Both times being said after seeking justice when they received betrayal.**

 **#2 – Decided to give Carol a different role than what she has in the show. Didn't really enjoy the storyline that she had in the end of season six. It wasn't really in her character. It COULD have been in her character if they delved into it a little bit more but it was sudden and unbecoming. So Carol from Many Hearts to Tread is contradicting Carol from the Walking Dead show. Oops.**

 **#3 – The tradition of the flower petals on the graves was something that Hannah's family did. Remember Hannah? Negan's first kill from Sherry's group? Yeah, she's more so mentioned then in the book but hey….**

 **#4 – Sooooooo… I LIKED Doctor Steven Edwards from season 5 of Walking Dead. I am one of the many who shipped Daryl and Beth like there was no tomorrow. And it took me over a year to actually get over her death. I was a mess and every time "Be Good" comes up on my iPod, I still have to give a pout look as I remember her serenading Daryl while he chilled out in the fancy casket. Ways that I think Beth's death would have had more meaning? Glad you asked! First, the ONE person from Grady that came with Rick's group is dead? No! That literally gives Beth's sacrifice crappy meaning. Like what was that even for? Rick gives an invitation for whoever wanted to come with them and be away from Grady. No one took it. But hello, FanFiction. In MY version, the doctor from Grady comes with them. Back story would be as such: Doctor Steven Edwards and Noah are the only ones who come with Rick's group. Noah dies like the show and that leaves Edwards to be the only one who was touched by Beth's sincerity to live some kind of legacy of his own. Daryl doesn't trust Edwards (because Grady was fishy) and suggests to Rick that because Alexandria already has a doctor, that he takes temporary leave of his "practice." Rick agrees. In the month in between Vessel and Cruel World, Edwards decides to take up residency in the Kingdom for their lack of doctor and for the sake of being away from Daryl who we all know goes out of his way to dislike someone. So Edwards stays! I also collaborate with apenny12 who wrote HOPE. Many Hearts to Tread and HOPE are sister books of each other and we use each other's interpretations of the characters. So if you have wondered where Morgan has been this whole time… Just read HOPE! Spoiler for the Many Hearts to Tread series if you do read HOPE though.**


	12. Chapter 12

**AUTHOR'S NOTE – This chapter is dedicated to 'Guest.' I received a review from a guest reviewer that left me smiling for the rest of the day. Like seriously, it was the sweetest words and they brightened my mood tenfold maybe even for the rest of the week. I wish I could message you to really just say thank you! But since I can't do that, I will dedicate a chapter instead. 'Guest,' this chapter is for you! This chapter for all of the guests that have commented. Whether you are the same person or different, I will never know. But thank you so much!**

 **Also, I often post at the end of my profile page what I am writing every night just to keep everyone updated on how the process is working (or not working) sometimes. If you would like to know and kind of have a good guesstimate of when the next chapter is coming, follow me as an author and check my profile every so often. I try to update almost every night to give you the best information.**

 **That was one hell of a season premiere, wasn't it? Lots of ugly tears.**

Chapter 12

"Miguel!" Negan called from his office as he stood up to peer outside the window. He heard footsteps descend down the stairs hurriedly as he grabbed for Lucille which was on top of his desk. Miguel stepped through the threshold and looked at Negan ready for his instruction.

"Did anyone radio from Ryan's team?" Negan questioned almost angrily. He had hoped to hear from them hours before with any kind of news. Reclaiming Sherry was something he knew to be ambitious, but with the communities on the road and scattered in cars, they didn't have the same stronghold that they would have if within the safety of their walls.

Miguel shook his head. "Nah, we didn't hear anything back from them." He said with tension as he eyed Lucille. Negan understood why no one wanted to be the bearer of bad news. He never took bad news well.

"Dwight was also supposed to be here after our meeting at the mill. Where the fuck is he?" Negan demanded. Miguel shrugged an answer as Negan groaned in frustration. Negan could see the look of knowing in Dwight's eyes as they walked towards the mill earlier in the day. He underestimated Dwight and had been naïve to think that Dwight was in any way trustworthy. He should have known better to put any stake in a man when he knew that he didn't have enough leverage leaning in his favor. With Sherry gone, he should have executed Dwight immediately after knowing he wasn't going to be of any use to him. _There she goes again,_ Negan thought of Sherry. _Always messing with shit that would have stayed put if she had only listened._

Negan was confident that he had at least one more ultimatum for Dwight to take the bait for. That was all he needed. Then he would be happy to get rid of Dwight once and for all. "Well, go get him." Negan urged impatiently as he started pacing the floor. Dwight had to know that something was missing in his inner circle. He only knew of one possible person that could have been in Dwight's corner and Negan happened to be holding Takuya hostage upstairs.

Dwight was smart and had already asked about Takuya's whereabouts. Ryan clued him in on both Dwight and Takuya's involvement in overthrowing him from the inside. He could have killed Takuya upon knowing that but knew that Takuya was the only pawn that he had left. He had the survivors from the ammunition factory but wanted to save them just in case their next battle didn't go according to plan. There could have been more Saviors on Alexandria's side but he was unsure if Dwight trusted anyone else to go against Negan. After all, Ryan confessed after less than twenty minutes after Dwight revealed all the information to him.

 _BOOM!_ The house shook with fury as Negan stopped pacing and strode towards the window to see what the sudden burst was. He lowered himself for protection and looked around to see anything somewhat suspicious. Already he could see smoke arise from the mill to the left of his office window.

"Fucking shit!" Negan exclaimed. _Now I know why Dwight was late to the fucking party,_ he thought to himself.

"Is it the Alexandrians?" Miguel asked while staying crouched behind Negan's desk.

"No, that's definitely Dwight." Negan responded and looked to Miguel with authority. "Get whoever the fuck you can, find Dwight, and bring him to me alive."

"You want him alive after all this shit going down?" Miguel questioned.

Negan groaned at the question because he would have been more than happy to end his life as soon as possible. But he had to remember that he needed Dwight for one last thing. Anger aside, he had to keep Dwight just for a day longer. "Get him here alive." Negan said resolved in his decision.

…

Dwight snuck behind several cars and buildings while trying to keep a low profile for as long as he could. Blowing up the mill with the extra C4 that was in the supply building was a good start. However, he still had some unfinished business. And he had to do all he could to make sure Negan was dead very soon. If that meant that he would die in the process then he was fine with it. Somedays he looked at himself in the mirror to discover that he was just as bad as Negan. The world was better off without him.

He had made it to the old entrance by the supply building as he hid behind a brick wall before being out in the open. Dwight strapped his crossbow to his back and brought his assault rifle to his hands as he knew he had to work fast and make sure all of Negan's supplies were extinct. Men started running towards the mill while some still stayed stationed at their spots nearby the fence just in case. Dwight paused for a moment to see if he could visualize all the enemy targets around him. With his heart beating out of its chest, he took the time to regain some composure and keep focused on his goal.

When his breath evened out, Dwight poked his head from behind the brick wall and noticed that he was still undetected from the people nearby. Not that they knew he was a danger yet. He wasn't sure how many people knew if he turned against them. Dwight thought he could possibly have the advantage if most were uninformed of him being an enemy.

Wondering if he should take the chance, he decided to lower his gun and just walk into the middle of the street. He took a couple of breaths and stepped out while trying to act as casual as possible.

One of the men was staring at the smoke that was billowing from the mill then looked to Dwight with concern as Dwight walked towards the supply building. "Did you hear what happened? If we are being attacked?" The Savior asked. Dwight remembered his name as being Chase.

Dwight shook his head and shrugged. "You should probably go check to find out. I'm getting extra ammo for the guys down there already. I'm sure walkers will be drawn to the sound." Dwight lied as he reached the door to the building and saw that it was already locked. Dwight kept it unlocked after he picked up some C4 from there only moments earlier. He reached into his pocket to retrieve the key but realized that it was gone. He did, however, discover that he had a small hole in his pocket as he exhaled in anger.

"Hey, Chase!" Dwight called while Chase was slowly making his way towards the mill. Chase turned around with curiosity as Dwight gestured for him to come over. He did so and looked to Dwight with question. "My key fell out of my pocket. Do you happen to have one on you?" He asked. Behind Chase, he saw Miguel emerge from Negan's house and start waving down as many Saviors as he could see. While Chase fumbled with his own jacket pocket, the Saviors around Miguel started surveying their surroundings. His time of being discovered by every Savior in Sanctuary was coming soon.

"Got it." Chase said and held up the key. Dwight grabbed it from him and started to unlock the door.

"Orlich!" A Savior shouted in Miguel's group as he heard a gunshot ring out. Dwight ducked down a bit as blood streaked his right cheek while Chase's lifeless body crashed into his side. Dwight caught Chase just in time as the door to the supply building opened.

"Orders aren't to kill, you dumb fuck!" Miguel yelled at the Savior who had shot at Dwight. Dwight used Chase as a human shield then hid behind the door and dropped Chase's body to the ground. Dwight closed the door and used the deadlock on the door and slid it through so no one else could get in. Dwight then quickly grabbed for whatever heavy boxes he could find and propped them up against the door so it couldn't be pushed down so effortlessly. He needed time to work and concentrate while he still had the opportunity to be alone with the Saviors large storage of weaponry.

When Dwight was satisfied with his work, he started walking up the stairs to not be on the same level as the Saviors who were running towards the supply building. "The more Saviors here, the better." Dwight muttered to himself as one man tried to reach up and look inside through a high window. Dwight made it to the second floor and immediately sat down and wiped Chase's blood off the side of his face. Beads of sweat dripped down his forehead as he sat while trying to recover some adrenaline. It was liberating to be living out something that he had thought of for years. Yet the mental exhaustion that he already felt was putting a strain on him. It was a lot of revenge to take in. A small smile crept up on his face as he stood up and got to work.

…

"You heard Dwight!" Mark yelled over his shoulder to Carson. "We can't fucking stay here! We need to move Eugene and Sasha now!"

"Where the fuck are we supposed to lay low in fucking Sanctuary, Mark?" Carson quizzed frantically as he hesitantly walked behind Mark while Sasha and Eugene followed them.

"The rest of the people that were in the ammunition factory with me. We have to get them too!" Eugene protested.

"Is there anywhere to hide that Negan doesn't know about?" Sasha asked while trying to keep up with Mark's pace. She was confident in the way that Mark was walking that he knew of a place that wasn't common to most Saviors.

"I know of one." Mark revealed but stopped suddenly and reached into his jacket to pull out a gun. With all of the commotion outside, any gun fire inside the court house was muffled or wouldn't be noticed as much. At least that is what Sasha hoped. Mark tiptoed the rest of the way towards the main opening of the court house near the grand staircase to see if any other Saviors were lurking about. Sasha watched and hoped that there wasn't as she didn't feel in the mood to be in yet another battle with the Saviors. It was just another obstacle that she would rather avoid. "Alright, we're alone." Mark assured and walked out onto the staircase.

Carson stepped out and nodded towards Eugene and Sasha to go in front of him as they were both unarmed. Sasha pushed Eugene forward as Carson drew his pistol out to cover them just in case something happened that they didn't detect earlier.

"Where is this place?" Eugene thought to ask as they cautiously walked down the stairs.

"I'll tell you when we get there. We don't want anyone to hear where we are going, do we?" Mark answered cryptically as he stood alert and prepared. "We're already almost there. We'll pick up the rest of your people on the way."

They followed him with faith as they each didn't have any better plans themselves. Mark went into a long hallway as they passed offices and a previous DMV. They almost came to the end of the hallway when Mark opened a door that led to a basement. He looked behind Carson to see if they still had the favor of secrecy. After several minutes, he seemed satisfied with the stillness in the air and pointed downwards. "In here." Mark instructed to all of them. Sasha saw it was a dark stairway that led to a basement or old cellar. She looked up to Mark skeptically as Mark's eyes widened in a plea. Slowly Eugene, walked down to wherever the stairs would lead them and into the darkness. Mark and Carson followed behind as Carson exhaled with dissatisfaction.

"Negan knows about this basement, Mark." Carson complained. "This is where I was taken after my group was captured."

"I know. Same with my group. And same with the Alexandrian's." Mark replied but then reached into his pocket to produce a flashlight. He shined a light in the far corner as Sasha and Eugene saw the rest of the Alexandrian's bound and gagged as they huddled close together. Sasha rushed to help them as Mark continued to explain why their hideout was secure. "Amber and I would sneak down here sometimes. When we were down here, we discovered a crawl space that wasn't really locatable unless you look really hard."

"You guys seemed to locate it without much difficulty." Eugene countered as Mark walked towards a wall behind the stairs. One of the Alexandrian women looked to Sasha with gratitude and held her hand. Sasha squeezed it back but felt bad for not remembering her name.

"Well…we wanted privacy…" Mark responded awkwardly as he moved several boxes to the side.

"Gross." Carson muttered but then started helping Mark move boxes as well.

"Hey, doesn't matter _what_ we used the crawl space for. That spot is saving our lives." Mark moved the last box as they all saw a small, obscure door on the wall. "Carson, do you have a watch?" Mark asked.

Carson nodded and lifted up his wrist to reveal it. Mark then opened the door as it made a noise of protest. Sasha looked up at the stairwell to see if anyone was around to hear it. "Good. We'll need to know when it's time to leave Sanctuary. Just like Dwight told us to." Mark said as he bent down to crawl inside.

"Will there be enough room for all of us?" Eugene asked.

"Just barely." Mark replied as he turned to look at all of them. "It's a little claustrophobic after a while. We only have to be here for less than twenty-four hours though. Plus, I don't see another option. Do you?"

"We could help Dwight." Sasha said quietly as she could still hear some noises from outside of signs of combat.

"If we all help Dwight, then we're all dead." Carson answered. "We promised him that we would take you back to your people. If he's dead already and we go back up there to help him, then he died for nothing. I would like to carry out a dying man's wish." Carson pointed upwards as more blasts were heard. "Hear that? That is a suicide mission and we were too late for the party. He's up against _all_ of Negan's men. I would be surprised if he still alive at this point."

Eugene shook his head as Sasha looked at him. "He is saving all of us and we left him to fend for himself." He mumbled quietly but Sasha could hear a deep sense of regret.

"It's too late." Carson responded with remorse. "But not everyone has to die in this scenario. You guys need to get in here. Our mission is to continue helping Rick with the cause and to bring Negan down. We lost Tak and Dwight today but the war will still go on tomorrow without them. It can't go on without us as well."

Sasha sighed. She had forgiven Dwight for taking Abraham's life. Rather, she accepted that Dwight's part in Abraham's death wasn't necessarily his fault. Since he had switched sides, he had proved to be the communities' most valuable player while working to destroy Negan from the inside. He may have done it for redemption of himself but Sasha was going to forever appreciate his efforts long after he was gone.

After several moments of silence Eugene finally got on his knees and looked to Mark. "Lead the way." Eugene said reluctantly. Mark started crawling inside once more as Eugene followed after that.

Sasha looked inside the dark crawl space as Carson glanced at her. "You first." Carson encouraged but Sasha could see the tears in his eyes. Dwight was a loyal friend to many and it hurt Sasha's soul to see that it wasn't an easy decision to get inside the crawl space which would signify how alone Dwight was in his mission to tear Sanctuary a part. However, she finally got on her knees and crawled into _their_ little sanctuary that was surrounded by hell. She then hoped that it would work out for the best.

…

Dwight searched through all of the Saviors collection of grenades, C4, ammunition, or any other devices that would cause a huge spark inside the building. He could hear some men walk up the outside stairs and onto the ceiling. Whenever someone tried to sneak inside from the outside stairs, Dwight was always nearby to shot them before they even made a scratch at his temporary fortress. However, some men were onto his plan of blowing the place up so he could hear the urgency and desperation outside grow exponentially.

Satisfied with his pile of explosives, he walked towards a window that faced the mill and lowered himself so he wouldn't be out in the open as he tried to look around. And then he saw Negan with Takuya kneeling in front of him next to his house. Dwight drew in a sharp breath as he knew Negan was baiting him. Dwight could see the look of satisfaction on his face even from afar and wanted to kill Negan.

Dwight realized that he still held the stronger cards in his hands. Negan needed Dwight to do something for him. Takuya had to be alive to secure that whatever Dwight had to do was going to be taken care of. He still had all the power with everything that was inside the supply building. It was a risky move and he Negan could possibly kill Takuya in anger. But risks came with the territory when betraying Negan.

He practically crawled away from the window and towards the stash of alcohol that he knew Hansen hid from everyone else when he was doing inventory. Hansen's abuse on alcohol was a blessing in disguise as Dwight opened a half empty bottle and got a red bandana out of his pocket. Dwight had grabbed the bandana from his house quickly after the meeting at the mill knowing he might need any kind of supplies for doing something drastic. Only then did he realize that the bandana formally belonged to Dean.

"Still helping me out," Dwight muttered to himself as he stuffed the bandana partially into the bottle. He then got out his cigarette lighter and looked to the pile and stepped back towards the furthest wall. Dwight glanced at the window beside him and saw another outside stairwell that didn't look to be too occupied by Saviors. Not any that he could see, that is.

Dwight quickly put down the lighter and bottle then opened up the window for a quick getaway. He was glad to only be on the second floor as he knew the explosion was going to blast everything in the supply building to high heaven. Dwight got out of the building to land on the stairwell with the lighter and bottle in hand. He looked inside the building once more and then started lighting the bandana on fire. He then put his hand inside the window to toss it.

"He's right here!" A Savior shouted as the man started climbing up the stairs to tackle Dwight. Dwight quickly threw the bottle towards the explosives then ran down the stairs and towards the Savior. It didn't take long as Dwight felt heat behind him and was blown to the side by a shock wave. The Savior below him was hit by an unseen force as well as they toppled over the side of the rail towards the ground. Dwight landed on his crossbow as the wind got knocked out of him. He stayed there for a while to take a breather as smoke billowed around him and as sounds of explosives fell on temporarily deaf ears.

When his brain finally didn't feel so jostled about, he got on his feet and started running away with camouflage and confusion of the fumes being used to his advantage. The Savior that fell with him tried to lamely grab at his feet while he was still composing himself but Dwight quickly stomped on his head as the man was instantly out from the blow. Dwight started running away once more but knew other Saviors heard the man yell about his presence behind the building.

"We see him!" Another Savior called as Dwight could see the smoke clear and Saviors surrounding him quickly. Dwight started running behind buildings to try and get some cover but they were closing in on him from all angles.

"Shit!" Dwight said but knew the day wasn't too much of a loss. He singlehandedly destroyed all of Sanctuary's artillery. He knew it made more than just a dent in Negan's armor but rather a crater. It was a relief to Dwight to finally feel like he did something worthwhile.

As he saw the Saviors running towards him, he finally put his hands behind his head in surrender. There was no use in putting up a fight. They cornered him fair and square and he was only prolonging his death. After he had done what he set out to do, he was ready for whatever Negan had planned for him. _For better or worse. But probably worse._

…

Sherry watched the sunset fall and could see Rick right next to the gate along with others. After calming her down, he told her that she wasn't allowed to leave Hilltop no matter what the circumstances were in Sanctuary. Sherry knew it was dangerous to try and find Dwight. However, his life was hanging in the balance. She could _feel_ it. Sherry just watched the entrance from the small balcony space that was on Hilltop's second floor. She was going to try and leave whenever Rick fell asleep and slip out. She understood that she wasn't thinking clearly but that her life was just as useless if Dwight was killed while trying to help them. She refused to leave him behind.

"Sherry?" She heard someone say behind her. Recognizing Ashlyn's voice, Sherry quickly wiped the tears from her eyes and looked to her friend. "Are you okay?" Ashlyn asked as she stood at the doorway.

Sherry shook her head but kept her chin up. "I'll be fine. Don't worry about me." Sherry stated with little expression in her voice. Her mood was very dismal as she imagined that it appeared so on the outside. "You okay?" Sherry asked back.

Ashlyn nodded then motioned for her to come inside the mansion. "Doctor Carson wanted to do an ultrasound and…" Ashlyn paused as she looked to Sherry.

"You want me to come with you." Sherry stated but not in question. Ashlyn nodded quickly as some tears formed but didn't say anything. Sherry walked towards her and put a hand on her shoulder. "Let's do this." Sherry said and was nearly glad for a distraction. But the second Ashlyn's appointment was over, she was going to spy on Rick once more to watch him fall asleep. She needed to leave at the perfect time to save Dwight.

…

Dwight was held in the same room that he was taken to the first day that he came to Sanctuary. His hands were tied behind his chair in the exact same fashion that they had been on that same day as well. He wasn't even sure why he and Takuya were still being kept alive. It didn't make sense. What was so important to Negan that he remained alive just for one more day? He didn't even like the idea of doing a final service for Negan's cause. Whatever it was, it couldn't be good.

The door opened with Negan standing in front of him with Lucille in hand. Dwight wasn't even intimidated by it. He knew he was going to die soon so he thought it best that Negan just move on from the confrontation and tell him what he needed of Dwight so Dwight could refuse his last request sooner.

"All of our fucking ammo is gone, thanks to you." Negan began as he stepped further into the room while closing the door behind him. "Whatever is in our guns already… That's what's left. You fucked up hard this time, Dwight." Negan said while over-emphasizing his name in a mocking tone. "We know Tak was involved with this. We also know that our prisoners from Alexandria are missing. Anyone else involved in this uprising that I need to know about?"

Dwight smirked as he glanced up to Negan. "Maybe you shouldn't piss off so many of your men than you would know the answer to that already." Dwight quipped back and sat back on his chair. "Can I just say a couple of things before we continue with this fucking charade?"

Negan looked at him slightly surprised but then started to laugh hysterically. He propped Lucille against the corner and leaned against the wall with his arms folded as he tried to calm himself down. "I'm all ears, Orlich." He scoffed with a grin.

"You are the sorriest sack of shit I have ever met," Dwight started as Negan's smile left altogether. "Whatever made you think that I would remain loyal to you after what you did to Sherry…" Dwight shook his head at the ridiculousness of it. "Let's just say you would be a fucking moron to even think that I had any trust in you. Even if you became the leader of the new world, I'm not interested in following a man of the likes of you. I have dreamed of shooting you until you became unrecognizable. If that gun was loaded that day you attacked Alexandria a month ago, I _would_ have shot you. I wish that it was loaded so I didn't have to deal with seeing your fucking face every single day." Dwight said as he thought about Negan testing him on the front steps of Alexandria. He looked up to Negan as Negan just stared at him almost in complete shock. "Truth is that I have never liked you. And I never believed in your vision for Sanctuary. Not that my opinion matters. _Nothing_ that I think matters."

Negan considered what he had to say then straightened his stance and looked to Dwight expectantly. "You finished or is it my turn?" He taunted.

Dwight scoffed but nodded. "Yeah, I'm done." He said.

Negan opened the door and leaned down to get something in the hallway. Dwight then heard muffled groans as Negan dragged a bound Takuya into the room as he easily tossed him against the wall. Dwight shook his head and tried to remember that it was all a mind game. Dwight had no power in situations where Negan pitted him against someone that he would kill for. Only because Dwight knew there was no compromise.

"I need you to do one more thing. Like I told you before, only you can do it. If you succeed, Takuya goes free and can die later with the rest of the communities. If he feels that he has a fighting chance with Alexandria's ranks, then he can do whatever the fuck he wants, right? If you don't do what I ask, Takuya dies as soon as you say the word. Plain and simple. Oh, and either decision you make gets you fucking killed once your task is done. I'm not interested in keeping you on as my right hand man after all the shit you've caused." Negan explained as he picked up Lucille. Dwight looked at it and was instantly reminded of Dean's death. No one deserved to have their life end with such brutality. "You in?"

Dwight looked towards Takuya then at the ceiling. "You haven't told me what I needed to do specifically." Dwight stressed.

Negan blinked several times as if Dwight shouldn't have had the audacity to say something like he did. "I grant you a fucking ultimatum to keep Takuya alive and this is what happens." Negan grunted in reply as he put a hand to his mouth in aggravation. "Your group was one of the first groups that the Saviors have ever come across. Since then, I have learned giving ultimatums is just a shit way to get things done. My soft spot for your group is really reaching the end of its fucking line. It shouldn't matter what I ask you to do. All you need to know is that if you do it, Takuya can be with the rest of the traitors at Hilltop. You don't do it, then I blow his fucking brains out right in front of you. Right now." Negan threatened. "Do you want to save Tak or not? That's all it really boils down to."

This was Dwight's corner that Negan pushed him into. Dwight was fiercely loyal to his friends that it was almost a fault. However, he didn't know if what Negan wanted him to do would jeopardize everything that they had worked for. It made him angry that Negan knew exactly how to play Dwight. He was a fantastic manipulator. In no way, shape, or form could Dwight refuse Negan's request while Takuya was staring at him wondering if his life would end once Dwight said something. Yet, Dwight knew whatever Negan had planned was something big. Dwight couldn't be involved with doing anything against the Alexandrian's any longer. If he could help in any way, he had to.

"You're taking a really long time to figure this one out, Dwight." Negan muttered and started to make a tick-tock noise with his tongue then looked to Takuya. "Your friend is really screwing you over with this wasted time."

Dwight and Takuya locked eyes as Dwight thought of Dean once more. He remembered the blood splattering all over the floor as the older man's head became nothing but broken bones and fragments of brain. Takuya was young and a much better person than Dwight. Even while Dwight deliberated, Takuya started to shake his head knowing Dwight was leaning towards saving him.

"Listen, I need to get a good night's sleep before tomorrow. Don't make me decide what happens for you." Negan complained as he started pacing around the small room.

"Stop putting this kind of shit on my shoulders." Dwight snapped out loud without even knowing he did. Negan was slightly stunned at his response as he took a couple steps backwards.

The room was eerily quiet as Dwight and Takuya stared at Negan who glared at Dwight menacingly. "You know what? I decided that I'm being a little too generous with you, Dwight." Negan said suddenly. "After all you have done to the fucking new way of life. You don't deserve to make a choice anymore." He quickly turned around and slammed down Lucille on Takuya's shoulder with blunt force. Takuya yelled in agony as Dwight tried to pull his own bounds a part to tackle Negan to the ground. Negan and his bloodied bat then pointed to him as he shook his head. "You want to stop this shit? You can decide if I have very good aim or really fucking bad aim." Negan said as Takuya was laying down on his side with his arm draped lifeless and out of its socket. "Maybe Tak man needs a good beating down for you to listen to my requests for one final time. You're one sick man to just let this bullshit happen right now. You have all the power here." Negan said as he swooped downwards with Lucille as it fell on Takuya's upper arm.

"Stop!" Dwight roared as Lucille picked up some flesh when it tore away from his mess of what used to be an arm. Takuya wailed again through his gag as the pain surged throughout his body. Dwight couldn't sit idly by any more. He could only hope that there was some way out of what Negan was going to ask him. "Okay, Negan. I'm in." Dwight said with deep regret. Negan looked to him with satisfaction as Takuya started to cry. _Couldn't just watch him die,_ Dwight thought. _If I'm a monster for that, then so be it._

…

"This might be a little cold." Doctor Harlan Carson cautioned to Ashlyn as he put a clear lubricant on a control stick. Sherry sat beside Ashlyn and fidgeted in her seat as Ashlyn squeezed her hand. Harlan looked to both of the girl's uncomfortable faces as he moved the stick underneath Ashlyn's covering over her lower half. "I can have Terri come in here to observe if that would make you feel more at ease." He assured.

His concern for their worries to alieve instantly put Sherry at ease who looked to Ashlyn to see that she also appeared more relaxed. "I'm fine." Ashlyn said quietly as Sherry brought her other hand to rest on top of Ashlyn's.

"Now from what you told me, it sounds like you are six to seven weeks pregnant according to the last time you had a period. Correct?" Harlan asked her while making small talk. Ashlyn jumped slightly at the device in Harlan's hand. "I'm sorry. The lubricant will warm up soon." Harlan said with an apologetic face.

"It's not that." Ashlyn said and took a deep breath as she tried to think of the question he asked. "About six to seven weeks, yeah."

"Alright, let's see if this ultrasound aligns with that timeline as well." Harlan said as Sherry looked towards the screen on the other side of Ashlyn's raised up cot. There were a lot of emotions that rang inside Sherry's head. She even felt a stab of guilt from the many times Negan had expressed interest in her having a child with him. The look of excitement on his face was almost contagious as she sometimes entertained the thought herself. As if it would have given her life some normalcy. Sherry had no idea what her past self was thinking as she glanced to Ashlyn who looked scared to death. It shook Sherry gravely as more guilt rose to the surface. Ashlyn's suffering was her fault as well. If she had only kept her mouth shut to Negan that she couldn't have kids then Ashlyn wouldn't be in her situation.

They waited and watched the screen for several moments as it would move from one blobby looking thing to the next. "Do you see that black circle? That's the gestational sac." Harlan said as he pointed to the screen. "That bright spot inside the black circle? That's your baby." Ashlyn's mouth opened in awe as she looked at the spot on the screen. Sherry's mouth started to quiver as she watched Ashlyn's fear immediately vanish into something else. Sherry could feel Ashlyn's hand tighten as Sherry had to look away. Never had she felt something so bittersweet in her life.

The circumstances to which the baby came from made her want to puke but to see Ashlyn's reaction at looking at the screen gave her so much hope. She didn't even understand why. Sherry should have hated the baby for ruining her friend's life. But she continued to look at the screen in amazement and would get shivers every time. "And it looks like that baby is perfectly lined up with the six and a half week period. I can take a guess that your due date is around Christmas. Congratulations." Harlan said as the ultrasound started printing out pictures. He stood up with the stick and set it on his tool table. "I'll expect you to come around every so often for a checkup. We want to make sure that baby is growing up nice and healthy."

Ashlyn started crying openly when Harlan handed her the pictures. Sherry leaned in to look at each of them herself as she could still feel the mixed emotions reverberate off of Ashlyn. Sherry couldn't say that Ashlyn was joyful or sad because of the thing growing inside of her. Ashlyn was neither. But for some reason, new life gave both of them hope for a better future. At that moment, Sherry could have the strength to fight for a great life. After what they had all been through. It was children like Judith, Maggie's baby, and Ashlyn's baby that deserved to feel safe throughout their entire lives.

"You two are from Sanctuary, is that right?" Harlan asked as Sherry stood up to leave the room. Harlan followed her as Sherry patted Ashlyn on the shoulder.

"We'll give you some time to get your clothes back on, okay?" Sherry insured as Ashlyn continued to look at the ultrasound pictures. She nodded to Sherry absentmindedly as she and Harlan left the room to give her privacy. "Yeah, that's where we lived for the last couple of years. Why?"

Harlan looked to the floor with a grave look on his face. "Do you know of a Hector Carson?" He asked hopefully. "Might go by Carson. He hated the name Hector."

Sherry nodded as she looked to the doctor's face. They were so obviously brothers and she didn't even realize it until then. "Yeah, he's been helping Dwight with fighting Sanctuary from the inside." Sherry said as she felt a mental stab of pain and hoped that Carson wasn't dead as well from what Ryan had told her.

"Really?" Harlan said with relief. "Wow, I'm glad to hear that actually. No one told me about his involvement with the resistance. I honestly didn't know what his condition was." He leaned against the hallway letting the good news sink in. Sherry had to say something and let him know the dark situation that surrounded his brother. He deserved to know.

"Doctor Carson, I…" Sherry said as she tried to think of the right words. "The last news that I heard was that someone ratted out Dwight to Negan… I don't know who else has been compromised or if it was just Dwight that..." She stopped as she refused to believe he was anything less than alive and well. "I hope Carson is still alright. But Negan knows that his enemies are within his walls. Carson will be walking on eggshells until this war is over."

Harlan looked at her and was shocked at her honesty but nodded his head. "Thank you for telling me that." Harlan said quietly while trying to take in all of the news at once.

"If Dwight was ratted out, I promise you that he would never throw anyone else under the bus." Sherry encouraged. "It's not in his character to do so."

"I hope you're right on that one, Sherry." Harlan answered and folded his arms. "I really do."

"I think I am." Sherry assured with a small smile. Dwight would risk his life before a friend got killed because he opened his mouth. It hurt to know that it was the truth.

…

Sherry walked into Carol's room and saw that she was awake on her bed while reading a book. "How are you feeling?" Sherry asked as she took a seat next to the bed and saw that Daryl was sitting on the other side of the room while on the floor and cleaning his crossbow with precision. Tobin was sound asleep on a La-Z-Boy in the far corner with a blanket perched above him but one hand still holding Carol's bed rail. "Doesn't look like he is waking up anytime soon." Sherry commented with light humor.

Carol put her book down and smiled at Sherry. "Tobin sleeps like a bear. As for me, I have had better days, that's for sure." Carol said in a hushed tone and looked to Sherry. "You saved my life back there."

Sherry adjusted in her seat while immediately feeling awkward. "I didn't do too much. Plus, I almost killed Daryl yesterday because I was being stupid. So perhaps that just makes up for it." Sherry could feel her mind reel in disbelief that the grenade attack on Sanctuary was only the day before. Daryl snorted at her statement as Sherry smirked in his direction. At least they were able to make light of her brief period of dumbness when it was all said and done.

"Your stupid moments are far less than your moments of bravery. Don't be so hard on yourself." Carol said while trying to brighten Sherry's mood. "How are you holding up?" She asked with concern.

Sherry shrugged and passed it off as if what she was going through wasn't as bad as what Carol had dealt with that day. "I'm not the one who was bleeding to death. I'm fine." Sherry said evenly but as she said it, she could only think of Dwight enduring an enormous amount of pain on behalf of the communities. She shuddered at the thought and tried to shut it out while it tore her a part.

"Is that an emotion well-hidden or are you actually fine?" Carol teased slightly regarding their earlier conversation in the car before they were ambushed.

Sherry sighed and stood up. "I guess I need to work on my bluffs." Sherry said kindly. "I'm just glad that you are okay. Did the doctor say how long you were going to be resting?"

"Well, I can't afford to sleep much. I'll see how I'm feeling tomorrow." Carol said with confidence but Daryl shook his head in protest.

"Tha' doc says she should rest up for 'ah couple of weeks." Daryl interjected with his usual growl. "If you see her up and about before then, tell her t'get her ass back t'bed."

Sherry gave him a halfhearted salute that she would keep her word to do so and started stepping out of the room. "Feel better, Carol." She wished and walked away. Sherry heard Daryl mutter something to Carol behind her as she starting walking down the stairs to the main floor.

"You goin' somewhere?" Daryl asked as he was immediately on her heels with his crossbow in hand. Sherry didn't even know what she did to give herself away that she had ulterior plans or she just surmised that Daryl was smarter than she wanted him to be at that moment.

"Just want to get some air." Sherry said simply as she looked to him and saw that his knowing stare didn't change. "It's a closed invitation." She tried to say in a final tone to make him go away.

"Hmph." Daryl mumbled as he thought to himself. He then stared at Sherry and made his eyes into slits. "Rick said you was gonna try an' make a break for it t'wards Sanctuary." Sherry's mouth formed a tight line as she cursed inwardly. Rick was the observant one who only alerted his second hand man of the imminent danger. Dwight shrugged then nodded his head towards the door. "Here, I gotta show you somethin'." He said and walked towards the front door. Sherry watched him for a second and scoffed. But followed him anyways.

…

Daryl led her behind the mansion as he got up on top of a tall wooden stand from the ladder. Sherry climbed the ladder behind him as he made it to the flat surface where he was able to see beyond the tall wooden barricade. Sherry reached where he stood and looked over the fence to see what Daryl was staring at. "See that smoke in tha distance?" He asked as he pointed to it.

Sherry squinted her eyes to see into the dark of the night. Sure enough, in the far distance was a bonfire of sorts. Highly disappointed, she scanned the surrounding areas and then saw another fire to her right. "How many have you seen?" Sherry asked.

"Six more." Daryl answered. "We weren't sure how close an eye Negan was gonna keep on us 'til we saw the smoke. We're surrounded and the fucker wants us t'know it."

Sherry leaned against the fence and let out a defeated breath. "Have they made any attacks yet or are they keeping their distance?" She inquired as she continued to look into the dark woods in front of her.

"Nah, they're stayin' back so far." Daryl replied. "Rick thinks that tha bastards will make their move come sunrise."

"What the hell are we going to do when that time comes?" Sherry asked him in an exasperated whisper.

"We'll fight." Daryl said with confidence but even Sherry could see that he was slightly rattled at the thought. So many of their fighters were down from the grenade attack on Alexandria. They didn't have a lot of people to depend on if things got ugly. And it seemed that the Saviors vastly outnumbered them still. Sherry hoped that she could leave Hilltop but it only looked as if Sanctuary had come to them instead. And she wasn't ready for another fight. Especially if it was anything like their battle before.

…

Dwight sat in the front seat beside Negan who drove towards Hilltop. Negan even waited longer than morning time so his Saviors got plenty of sleep and were well-rested. It was nearly past seven o'clock at night and the Saviors were bloodthirsty. Takuya sat behind them while he was bound and gagged once more. The doctor in Sanctuary loaded him up on pain killers with a measly bandage but Takuya's shoulder and arm were in really bad shape. His arm appeared to be disconnected while Dwight wondered if Takuya's shoulder was in a position where it could even be rejoined. It was more than a possibility that Takuya could lose his left arm.

Dwight just stared down at this hands as they were tied together and then felt the car stop suddenly. He glanced towards Negan who nodded to everyone else in the seats behind him. "An eye for an eye. They fucked our fence, we'll fuck theirs. Remember what I said about our defense this time. Make sure your knives are fucking stained with walker blood. That's the key. Fever will kill most of them by morning." Negan instructed as he got out of the large military vehicle and another Savior took his place. Dwight's car door opened as someone grabbed his arm viciously and yanked him out of the car. Dwight almost stumbled to the ground but Miguel caught him as Dwight noticed the man had his crossbow strapped to his back.

Negan looked to Dwight smugly in the dim light as Dwight glared back at him. Negan still hadn't told him what the big and glorious plan was that Dwight had to do. He was left to wonder all night. He didn't even get any sleep from that night as he worried about what would happen the next day. More so, he was surprised to be alive to see another day.

"Let's start walking. They'll get some warning but not too much." Negan said as he led Dwight by the shoulder. Whatever was going to happen, Dwight was standing in the front. Dwight could only hope that the next several hours would bode well for the communities.

…

 _Hands. Sherry could feel hands all over her body as she laid on her side. Then she felt Negan breathe on the back of her neck as she wondered how she was with him again and how she came to be there. She opened her eyes and could see herself on Negan's bed with only a sheet on top of her. The feeling of dread started to rise when lips brushed her jawline. Her heart plummeted at the touch. She was back in Sanctuary. She didn't understand how but she was back and with Negan once more._

" _We're in this together." She heard Negan whisper sweetly in her ear as he reached for her hand. It was a blunt contrast to the way he spoke as his hand was forceful and harsh. "There isn't a way out of it. Want your group to stay alive? You have to stay with me until the day you die." Negan tightened his hold around her as she couldn't move. She just continued to lay on her side and wait until the inevitable happened. Sure enough, Negan rolled on top of her and started kissing her chest. Sherry still couldn't move to try and fight him. It was as if her body was stuck or she was having some kind of out of body experience. She just wanted it to end._

" _Good morning, Sherry."_ She heard Negan say as she jolted up wide awake. She wailed slightly followed by uneven pants at the discovery that it had been a very vivid dream. Sherry studied her surroundings to see that she was still in Hilltop and resting on top of the perch beside the wooden fence. She hadn't left her spot since Daryl pointed out the bonfires earlier in the night. She had stayed there while being wide awake for most of the night but fell asleep an hour before the sun started to rise. Sherry always expected nightmares every time that she closed her eyes. It was relentlessly annoying.

Sitting up, she gazed around Hilltop and how several people were already preparing for the day. She could hear Hilltop's local blacksmith named Earl hammering away at one thing or another. Sherry even heard livestock nearby as they would cluck or moo every so often. Hilltop was somewhat peaceful and it had been a while since Sherry woke up and really let her surroundings sink in. Her body ached as she craned her neck and tried to get a kink out of her back. It had been a rough couple of days and her body was well aware that she was pushing it.

She heard growling on the other side of the fence as she stood up to observe where the noise was coming from. Sherry leaned over the fence and saw a walker trying to reach upwards to be on the other side with the living. She just stared at the walker as it looked up to her with desperation and hunger. Sherry was scared of a lot of things but the undead wasn't a fear of hers any longer.

"Sleep alright?" Rick asked as he walked over to her. Sherry glanced at him but then went back to staring down at the rotting corpse with mild intrigue.

"Yeah, maybe a couple hours in or so. You?" She asked groggily.

"I think I got an hour or two in there." Rick said as he walked up the ladder to stand beside her. He had a spear in hand and gave it to Sherry who held it but didn't strike at the walker just yet. She was just satisfied to watch it for a moment before she went in for the kill. "You know that's the sun setting instead of the sun rising, right?"

Sherry looked at him surprised and couldn't believe that she had slept so long. She had to have been asleep for more than twelve hours. She had slept on that perch while people were coming and going throughout the day. Sherry thought that she must have been tired because she didn't even stir. "We didn't want to wake you up. As long as nothing was happening, we didn't feel the need." Rick thought to say.

"Thanks. I guess I needed it." Sherry said graciously and sighed. She was glad that she slept as much as she did.

They stood there for a moment as Rick overlooked the area around Hilltop. "The fires went out late in the night as we saw dirt being picked up this afternoon. They aren't around us anymore and are congregating to one spot." Rick explained as Sherry saw that there was no smoke to be seen.

"So last night was just for intimidation?" Sherry asked.

Rick nodded. "Looks like it. What I can tell you is that we are not prepared. If they come in here with guns blazing, it'll be a massacre." Rick confided. "Our fighters are all spent. I have no idea how many men Negan still has but he is beating us right now."

Sherry continued to stare down at the walker with spear in hand as she allowed what Rick said to sink in. "That doesn't sound too optimistic." She finally said in a monotone voice.

Rick snorted at her response and leaned against the fence. "I just don't know." Rick muttered as he put a hand to his face to massage his temples. "I feel like I owe it to a lot of people to make this work. And if I can't do that… Negan will make them pay for my mistakes. He already has."

Sherry immediately shook her head as she thought of Rick's words. "No, don't let yourself think that way. That was my way of thinking for the last two and a half years. Every bad thing that Negan has done to the people I cared about… I put it on my shoulders. I still do that. I keep forgetting that people wouldn't have been put in their situation if he was out of the picture to begin with. Rick, none of the things that have happened to your people was your fault." Sherry stated as she lifted the spear over the walker's head and spiked downwards on its skull.

"Still feel that guilt?" Rick inquired as she looked at him with honest eyes. Sherry nodded slowly with deep regret.

"Sounds like a personal problem." Rick muttered but then let out a laugh as Sherry tried to yank the spear from the walker's head.

She had a small smile as she raised her eyebrow. "Yeah, well, so does yours." She quipped back sarcastically. "I…" She stopped when she could hear something odd from the other side of Hilltop. "You hear that?" Sherry asked Rick as they stayed silent while trying to hear a follow up noise.

"They're here!" Someone yelled at the front gate followed by one gunshot that made the shouts fall away. Rick and Sherry flashed each other a look before Rick quickly walked to the ladder with Sherry following after him.

"Rick!" Daryl yelled as he walked towards them. Rick nodded to his second in command as they were joined up by Michonne, Ezekiel, Hank from New Haven Colony, and Maggie. Maggie peered around to find someone in particular and relaxed when Jesus made his way towards them.

"Rick, our ammunition from Eugene still hasn't made its way here and no one at the factory has made contact with us in two days." Michonne spoke as they walked up to the front. They could see one of the guards near the front was shot down and face down in the dirt already. Sherry's stomach lurched as they walked towards another showdown that they weren't prepared for. "Our ammunition is dangerously low. We might have enough for this fight but not enough for one after that."

"Gather all of our fighters that we have left." Rick stated as he looked to Michonne. "We need everyone who is able with whatever they can use. Elderly, children, and the people wounded need to get inside the mansion."

Sherry watched Hank and Ezekiel nod to each other as they heard Rick's instructions. "We will find people who can fight." Hank said proudly as Ezekiel and Michonne followed him.

Jesus looked to Maggie and shook his head. Maggie gave him a face of protest and spoke up. "I'm fighting." She withstood.

Rick turned to face her and was as stern as he could be. "No, I want you to go into the mansion with everyone else." Rick looked at her firmly as he felt strongly to make the decision for her. "You have to think about the baby."

Maggie took a deep breath and nodded after several minutes. She then looked to Sherry as they had an understanding. Negan had to die.

"Okay!" Sherry then heard on the other side of the fence. It was Negan. "Anyone in earshot; listen the fuck up! Lay down and bury your fucking face in the fucking dirt! Got it? Put your fucking hands behind your back! And don't you dare fucking move! You surrender, you live. Otherwise we're mowing all of you fuckers down! You have been warned!"

Silence ensued as Sherry came to a stop. None of them wanted to get too close to the fence just in case a fiasco like the last event happened. _Please, God, let there be no more grenades,_ Sherry thought. It wouldn't take long for the Saviors to kill all of them if they used any kind of heavy artillery. She felt someone nudge her as she looked up to see Daryl handing her a knife and a gun. She saw Carl standing beside him and made eye contact. They had to defend the rest of what they had.

"Take it down!" Negan shouted as they heard an engine rev up. Wood and metal started bending and distorting at Hilltop's entrance as a large vehicle made way. Sherry had to cover her ears from the shrill sound that it had made as chickens clucked in a panic at being startled. When the dirt settled, they could see the men inside the vehicle as Daryl didn't waste any time raising his rifle and shooting them down. Gunfire lit up as Daryl, Aaron, and Mati continued to rain fire on the perpetrators who tore down their fence. Sherry and a lot more would have helped had they had more ammunition but every bullet was precious.

Rick looked to everyone around him as they congregated towards their small circle of people. "Everyone take cover! They're coming in and they're coming in now! Move!" Rick yelled at everyone behind him.

"We have to defend the people inside the house!" Rosita said to no one in particular in the near distance behind Sherry. She only hoped that someone would listen.

"I can help!" Sherry said as they both ran to take cover behind the mansion's front steps. Carl followed swiftly behind them as they made it an importance to save the innocent lives inside. Even though the people of Alexandria, New Haven, Hilltop, and the Kingdom were all running on fumes, there was a sense of finality and resolute strife. They had so much to defend and so much to lose. Determination was evident on everyone's face that Sherry could see. There was no fear. It was the eleventh hour.

Suddenly, they heard more engines as motorcycles emerged inside the Hilltop compound. One bike knocked over one of the covers that Aaron was behind as he quickly dodged out of the way at the last minute. Sherry discovered that they only worked as a distraction as _another_ military vehicle made its way inside and ran into one of the small chicken coops with a loud crash. People ran or yelled in a panic as Sherry raised her gun and leaned her arm against the side of the mansion stairs. She waited to see what the Saviors plan was and when the bullets would start flying.

One of the motorcyclists was shot down as she saw a bolt protrude from the biker's chest. Hope surged through Sherry hoping that it was Dwight but when she looked to see where the bolt was shot from, it was only Daryl who appeared to have a small interest in the bike as it fell on its side right in front of him. However, he was soon distracted by something else. Several other cars made their way inside Hilltop as their fighters continued to be pushed back and brought closer to Rosita, Sherry, and Carl's cover spot.

"Move back!" Rick yelled to anyone who could hear. "Get to the house! Keep your distance!" The sound of engines whirring from one car or another was almost deafening as Sherry could see Rick almost get mowed down as he made his way towards the mansion. Sherry looked around and could see no sign of Dwight. There was so much confusion. All and all, this would be the first fight that they had with the Saviors that was within their walls that Sherry was a part of. A part of it scared her to know how much rode on their battle being successful.

The driver of the car that almost ran into Rick as quickly shot down as it ran into a motor home while it came to a stop. "The gate! They're still coming in the gate! Look out!" Tobin yelled from the balcony on the mansion. Some men started shooting at him but he took cover behind the pillars as Sherry could hear the young and old start to scream in terror inside the house.

Sherry then heard shouts at the front of the gate as every Savior at Negan's disposal poured inside the gates of Hilltop. Negan was in that group as he quickly took cover behind a car with several Saviors defending any blind spots around him. Sherry then saw the threat as all of Negan's men started to attack their people with knives. It was a massacre to end the rest of the war. Sherry watched as they pulled a man from his hiding spot and start killing him with an axe. Negan meant for no mercy. He was a man of his word.

"Keep them pinned down!" Rick yelled. "We've got to keep them away from the house!"

"Dad!" Carl shouted as Rick heard him. Rick slowly made his way towards their spot and took cover behind the bushes. A couple of shots rang through but no one on their side had been shot yet. Sherry wondered what Negan had planned since the Saviors aim was known to be more accurate. She suspected a ruse.

"We need people outside of Hilltop to box these guys!" Rick stressed to the three of them. "I need a group of you to go around and corner them in."

"We can do that." Rosita assured and looked to Sherry for confirmation. Sherry nodded back as they made an effort to get out of their hiding spot. Engines could still be heard driving around the open space of Hilltop as it caused confusion for most of their people.

"Shut those cars down!" Rick yelled upwards to Tobin. Tara and Hank started setting up their rifles next to Tobin in an effort to help be sharpshooters.

"We're trying!" Tobin barked back as he made a shot towards a car that was popping wheelies on their lawn.

"Like I said, get half our people with you towards the entrance. Take the wall behind the mansion and work your way outward from there." Rick instructed as Rosita and Sherry started crawling away.

…

Negan and his men took cover behind one of the motor homes just east of the entrance. Dwight was tossed to and fro while still bound as was Takuya who was immediately behind him. Negan pushed Dwight upwards against the motor home with all of his strength and put his forearm over Dwight's throat. Dwight could feel the slight asphyxiation as he tried not to breathe too hard as it would make it more difficult to find enough air.

"Now is the time that I reveal my little half-baked scheme. Maybe it'll work. Maybe it won't." Negan relayed but looked to Dwight with animal eyes as they were wide and darted back and forth to Dwight's. "But…we do get credit for trying. Miguel!" Negan called as Miguel walked towards them. "Make sure our men spread out as much as they fucking can. If anything fucking moves, kill it."

Negan eased his grip on Dwight slightly and nodded for Dwight's crossbow. Dwight saw the crossbow and saw the bolts attached with several other bolts in the hands of Miguel. The ends were all covered in walker blood as Dwight looked at it in dread.

"Whenever we see Rick heading over this way, you are going to shoot him with a bolt." Negan said. No way in hell that any of us will get close to him. His followers treat him like a fucking king. So I need you to make the winning hit right out of the fucking ballpark. Shut this shit down for good."

…

Darkness crept over Hilltop as Sherry, Rosita, Ezekiel, Michonne, Mati, Jesus, and several other survivors made their way outside the fence and towards the front entrance. Michonne had the brilliant idea of playing with the some of the cars wires to turn the lights on and blind the Saviors from anything that was beyond their sight. It would give them all the advantage in the world.

"Ready?" Michonne called out towards Ezekiel as they stood next to the cars. Sherry stood beside Ezekiel's car as he nodded in reply.

"I hope this works." He said as he played with the wires.

"And….go!" Jesus shouted as Michonne and Ezekiel each turned on the cars headlights. There they could see all the Saviors hiding behind cars while trying not to be in plain sight from the people near the mansion. Sherry raised her gun and made sure that every single one of her bullets counted. She only had ten bullets which wasn't enough to make anyone feel comfortable.

It gave them a clear view of all the Saviors at the mansion's doorstep as Jesus used his scope to make even the furthest Savior run for cover in fear. Not only did it give them some advantage but it also gave the people inside the mansion a step up in the fight as they had a clear view of everyone trying to get in the large home. Bullets went off everywhere as it felt nice to know that it was the Saviors that were high and dry. Sherry pulled the trigger as she aimed towards a Savior and got a head shot. A smile crept up as she continued to shoot. They had the upper hand in this fight.

…

Negan released Dwight from his binds and shoved his crossbow in his arms. Dwight looked at it as if it was a foreign object as his shoulders slouched with displeasure. _Save Tak and kill Rick,_ Dwight thought. _Save Rick and kill Tak…_

"You see that, Dwight?" Negan said as he looked around the fence that they hid behind. "They're completely distracted. They don't even see us."

Dwight watched Negan look behind the fence and quickly viewed around him to load another bolt. Miguel handed him a bolt as Dwight noticed that it was coated in walker blood like the rest of them were. Miguel stared at him with a nod as Dwight looked at him incredulously. Did he know that the walker blood wasn't on there? Was Miguel really as loyal of a follower as Dwight thought he was?

Miguel urged Dwight to take it before Negan observed it as Dwight grabbed it and lined it up. "Take Rick out. Even if it's not a kill shot…that muck will make him sick. It's perfect." Dwight hesitated as he kept the crossbow down so Negan couldn't observe it. Negan gave him a dirty look. "The fuck you waiting on? Do it!"

Dwight looked at Takuya being held captive by the other Saviors that were in the building and took a deep breath.

"Negan! Their people surrounded us! We need to get out of here now!" A Savior urged. Negan groaned in anger at the news and kicked Dwight in the shin. Dwight took a sharp breath in pain but didn't even yell.

"Shoot him now!" Negan yelled in Dwight's ear and held a gun to Takuya's head.

Dwight had zero time to aim properly and lifted his crossbow up in hopes that he would find a less vital spot to go for. He also didn't want Negan to see that his bolt was clean so he used the angle of the house to obscure Negan's vision who still hid in the shadows. Dwight had one second to see Rick's back in his scopes as he hoped that he didn't hit a place that was fatal. "Sorry, Rick." Dwight said in advance and pulled the trigger.

Dwight put his bow down as he saw Rick slouch down and the people look around them. He then hid behind the small shed that they all took cover in.

"Behind us!" Dwight heard Aaron yell as gunfire fell rapidly around them. Negan nodded for his men to let Takuya go and then gestured with his hand for them all to open fire.

"Who else has a bolt that would shoot Rick?" Negan asked as he pushed Takuya to the ground. As the Saviors around him opened fire with some of the last ammunition that they had, Negan looked to Dwight. "Good luck surviving the wrath of your new friends, Dwight." With that, him and the Saviors left Takuya and Dwight behind the shed and started walking out of the torn down entrance. Dwight could hear the Alexandrian's get closer to their place but they weren't firing. Takuya and Dwight didn't even make an effort to run. Essentially, Negan made Dwight an enemy on both sides and couldn't be trusted by either. Whether or not his bolt was clean, he had shot Rick in the back. If Negan hadn't killed him later in the day, the Alexandrian's would.

Dwight could see from the corner of his eye that Takuya was staring at him. Dwight made eye contact as there was a look of gratitude and remorse. It was the same look that Jason gave Dwight after his first kill.

"Dwight? What the hell?!" Aaron asked angrily as he rounded the corner.

Dwight turned to face him as he put his hands behind his head. He couldn't even explain what had happened. He was at the mercy of the Alexandrian's as he just nearly killed their leader. Any words that came out his mouth would sound insincere and pointless. Negan was no longer his executioner. They were.

…

Sherry watched from behind a car as the Saviors were all driven away. They jogged to their cars without looking back as Sherry could see Negan hiding behind a circle of his men. "Coward," she heard Rosita say from behind her.

Sherry strained herself to see any sign of Dwight and if he was in trouble. There was always a sliver of faith that Negan spared him and that he was alive. Or maybe Ryan was lying to her. Even though it would seem an odd thing to say to her at a moment of his death, there was still a chance that he spoke falsehood.

"You fucker! Y'been playing us all along!" She heard Daryl shout in anger and then could see Dwight on his knees as a circle of people started walking towards them. Sherry could feel her feet fly at the sight of Dwight but felt her gut wrench upon seeing Daryl punch him squarely in the nose. Dwight reeled back but didn't even attempt to fight Daryl.

"Daryl!" Sherry screamed as she walked up to them. Dwight got back up on his knees and looked up to her with shame written on his face as his mouth was formed in a tight line.

"He shot Rick!" Daryl revealed angrily. "M'gonna kill em!" Daryl made a step towards Dwight as Sherry quickly stepped in between them.

"No!" Sherry shouted in Daryl's face as she put her forearm up to his chest. Tobin walked up to put a hand on Daryl's shoulder to try and calm him down.

"We don't know all the details. There are some pieces of information that this man has that we need, Daryl." Tobin reasoned as Daryl huffed out a breath.

"What more information do y'all need? He fucking shot Rick!" Daryl bellowed as he tried to take another step towards Dwight who didn't even try to run away. Sherry couldn't even fathom the thought that Rick was injured _because_ of what Dwight did. But she knew he wouldn't have done it if someone didn't pull the strings. She didn't understand why Dwight would do something that looked really bad but knew Negan was behind it. Fear got the better of her when Daryl made an attempt to walk towards him one more time. Sherry's instinct kicked in as she took her forearm off Daryl's chest and slapped him across the face. The sound nearly echoed throughout Hilltop as Sherry didn't hold anything back. It would leave a mark.

Daryl put a hand to his face as Tobin tried to calm him down. He angrily shoved the older man off of him and walked away knowing that Sherry would lash at him again if he took another step towards Dwight. Never before had Sherry felt so at odds with herself. Yet she turned around to see Dwight being picked up by Aaron and Jesus as they marched towards the mansion.

"We'll hold him in the cellar beneath the kitchen." Aaron told her. Dwight couldn't even look at Sherry as he just stared down at the ground in silence. "We promise to get to the bottom of this before we make any rash decisions. But Sherry, I saw it with my own eyes. He is guilty."

Sherry followed them as she tried to say something. "Dwight," she whispered quietly as he glanced up behind him to stare at her. She didn't know whether to feel betrayed that he did something wrong, happy that he was still alive, or worried that Daryl would just kill him later. She had felt conflicted as she could feel everyone's eyes on her as they looked at her with doubt. She had attacked Daryl in an attempt to protect Dwight who tried to murder their leader. With that action, she had already picked the side that she was fighting on. Yet she was resolute on trying to find a solution and a middle ground for everyone. She had to fight to save Dwight's life. If she died in the process, then she accepted it. Nothing else mattered.

 **AUTHOR'S NOTES, TRIVIA, & FACTS - **

**#1 – Saw Michael Cudlitz, Michael Rooker, and Josh McDermitt this last Saturday. More details on my profile if you are interested. Michael C. was somber. As you can now understand why if you watched season 7 episode 1 already. Eugene remembered me from a previous Walker Stalker. He's my best friend and I love him (wink).**

 **#2 – The last line is obviously a homage to book 2 that is titled "Nothing Else Matters."**

 **#3 – Man, I fought really hard with myself to**


	13. Chapter 13

**AUTHOR'S NOTE – Odd and not planned. Chapter 12 came in at 12k words while chapter 13 comes in at around 13k words… This isn't supposed to be a theme… I really hope chapter 14 isn't 14k and so on and so forth. Usually my last chapters are just wrapping things up and they tend to be shorter. Can't believe after two years that books 1-4 are complete. Wow!**

Chapter 13

Megan saw Takuya resting on the front steps of the mansion in a daze. Everyone passed by him and would sometimes look to him with uncertainty. He was an officially retired Savior which didn't leave a lot of room for trust. Especially after what Dwight had done to Rick. _So am I,_ Megan thought as she finally took up the courage to approach him with a first aid kit in tow.

She had often fantasized about the moment where she would actually speak to him. For the years that she had seen him around Sanctuary, she had never once heard him talk. They were silent towards each other for fear of what Negan would do. She didn't even dare so much as look at him when Negan was around.

It was something that she couldn't describe; a feeling that she had whenever she saw him. She would often think or compare Takuya with Negan and think of all the things that Negan had done to her. She didn't know Takuya but knew from what Sherry told her about him that Takuya would never hurt intentionally hurt someone. It was refreshing and almost like an escape in her mind. Now that she limped towards him, she felt sick to her stomach. What if he wasn't what she thought he would be? What if he didn't even like her and saw her as used goods? She almost turned around to avoid approaching him altogether but then he glanced up to see her. Megan inhaled and froze but forced a polite smile. He grinned back in a friendly manner as she stifled her fears.

"Have you been helped yet?" Megan thought to ask as she awkwardly held up the kit.

Takuya shook his head and opened his mouth. "I, uh…no… I haven't." Takuya stammered out as he tripped over his words. Megan detected a small accent and was reminded that he was originally from a different country.

"Good!" Megan exclaimed but then shook her head. "It's not good that you got hurt. That's not what I meant. It's just good that I…" Megan started to say but then stopped before she made a complete fool of herself.

She walked to sit right next to him as he watched her limp. "What happened to your leg?" He asked more clearly and with concern.

"Oh…" Megan said as she sat down and opened the kit with a smile on her face. "I got shot actually."

Takuya's eyes widened as he looked at her. "Wow." He replied. Megan wasn't sure if he was more taken aback by the fact that she was shot or that she was smiling when she told him.

"It'll heal." Megan answered considerately and saw how pale his skin looked. Her eyes then traveled to his poorly bandaged arm as it sat limply on his lap. "I think we need to get you an actual doctor for that one. It looks like it's hurting you real bad."

"Oh, it's fine." Takuya assured and looked to her with sad eyes. Megan didn't know him well enough but had helped enough of the injured within the last several days to know that he was hurting badly. Beads of sweat drained down his face and he looked like he was about to pass out at any moment. Yet he still looked so happy to see her sitting next to him. She was glad to be with him as well.

…

Sasha slowly opened the door and all was quiet. It still wasn't a good sign and didn't alieve any of her worries. She couldn't hold out hope that they were in the clear just yet. Until she was home and safe with the threat of Negan gone, she wouldn't ever feel secure.

"Alright, the coast is clear so far." Sasha said to everyone behind her. "We'll check the rest of Sanctuary as we go along." They had left later than they thought they were going to because they still periodically heard noises well after morning time when Dwight said that they would be gone. The Saviors probably knew they were missing and were trying to find them. It was before nightfall that all the noises stopped and all was quiet on the other side of the door. Mark's hiding place proved to be valuable to their survival.

"We'll stop at the supply building and see if they left anything behind." Carson suggested so that the Alexandrian's weren't unarmed. "Then we'll see if we have a car to steal and take the long way to Hilltop."

They all walked slowly up the stairs while Carson led the way. All was still quiet. If they heard someone cough or drop something anywhere in the court house, they would quickly be alerted. "Do you think everyone has left Sanctuary?" Eugene asked with trepidation.

"Maybe several people have stayed behind but I doubt it." Carson replied. "With the way that Negan has been so hell bent on ending this war… I really think everyone was called to attack Hilltop."

"Is that supposed to make us feel better?" Sasha questioned as she grew troubled for the communities. She wasn't sure what their status was since she rammed the vehicle in Sanctuary's gates or how many people have died. Being in Sanctuary was like an air tight bubble. Besides the information that Dwight had sometimes given them, she hardly knew anything about the happenings outside the walls.

They reached the top of the stairs as it was pitch black inside the court house. They all stayed on guard; even the Alexandrian's that had little to no combat training. There was something eerie about being in the center of Sanctuary when no one else was around. Almost at the same time, it was loud with angry voices that were killed within its false security. Sasha wasn't one to believe in haunted places but Sanctuary reeked of evil acts from the past. She heard of many people who had died for the sake of standing up to Negan. She shuddered at the thought and knew she wasn't out of the woods just yet. They still had to get out and they weren't sure what would meet them when they opened the doors to the outside.

They made it to the large lobby area that opened up to the grand staircase. Sasha could see the stillness from the outside past the large doors. Nothing moved outside. When Carson got close enough to view more clearly, he waited while they stayed behind. It was several minutes that he gazed from one direction to another. There was still no movement.

"I can go outside and check more thoroughly." Mark offered. "They might not know that I'm an enemy and I can be casual about it."

Carson looked back to him and shook his head. "I really don't think anyone else is here." He said with promise. "I could be wrong but they don't even know that we stayed inside the court house. Are they just waiting for us to come and say hello? I think we're in the clear."

Sasha and Eugene peered at each other as they both looked to the Alexandrian's in between them. Unsure of whether or not they wanted to leave protection of the court house, they stood still and waited to mentally deliberate every possibility. Sasha took a deep breath and stepped towards the glass doors. "Let's go together." Sasha said confidently.

They all nodded with hesitation but followed her lead. Without falter, she opened the door and breathed the clean air around her. They were one step closer to home but only one step. They still had a long way to go. "Where is the supply building that you were talking about?" Sasha inquired as Carson walked up to her.

"It's over here." Carson said as he guided all of them to the right of the court house. Sasha looked at every detail in Sanctuary while she still had the chance. There was a lone metal barrel near the steps of the court house with a grill covering on top of it. A single iron sat above it as Sasha surmised that it was the same size of burn mark that Dwight and Mark had on their faces. She even looked to Mark for confirmation and saw that he was completely avoiding the sight and staring onward.

They entered a small downtown area as Sasha could see an old police station, bar, and pharmacy. The pharmacy looked to be entirely vandalized of all of its possessions. They came upon a larger building that was on the border of Sanctuary's walls as Carson exhaled in awe. "Jesus! He fucking blew up the supply building!" Carson exclaimed.

Sasha looked closely into the darkness and could see black ash above every broken or near melted window. As they approached, the smell of smoke was strong in the air. "Dwight?" Mark asked as they walked towards the building's large door.

"Has to be." Carson stated as he peered inside the door as Mark opened it. "Negan wouldn't ask the Saviors to blow up their fucking supplies. Why the hell would he do that?"

After several minutes of pondering their next step, Eugene overlooked Sanctuary and sighed. "So no guns for us then?" Eugene asked. "What's the next step?"

"We get the hell out of here." Mark answered and started walking towards the mill. Sasha and the rest continued to look at the supply building in surprise as she wondered what Dwight's well-being was. If he was the one that started a fire or explosion of some kind, Negan wouldn't have taken it well. Sasha knew Negan to be someone not to mess with as it had severe consequences. "You coming?" She heard Mark ask them as they all slowly turned towards him and the mill.

When they made it to the mill, they saw that most of that had been burned down as well. It was like the face of Sanctuary had been nearly destroyed. Dwight made sure to destroy the two strongest points that Sanctuary had to offer. Essentially, he made the Saviors completely useless.

"He fucking butchered Sanctuary." Carson mumbled in complete awe at the almost caved in mill. In no way was the mill safe to even step foot inside. Dwight's job as the inside man was well worth the investment. Sasha was glad that Rick trusted him with the job but worrisome of Dwight's outcome. What Negan had to have done to Takuya and Dwight was something that she almost didn't want to know.

"There! That old van over there!" Mark yelled behind him as he started running towards the vehicle that he pointed out. Then in the corner of Sasha's eye, she saw some movement that didn't belong to her group.

"Carson!" Sasha warned to get his attention as Carson was quick on his reflexes to respond. He turned around and pointed his gun to where Sasha looked as they stared at two figures walking towards them. When Sasha could see one was a lot smaller than the other she then gestured for Carson to lower his weapon once more.

Sasha adjusted her eyes in the darkness to see it was a woman holding a baby with a small toddler at her side. They all had light blonde hair while the youngest had tight short curls. The woman looked to have red stained cheeks as if her world had just fallen apart. Sasha knew the feeling. She had felt that many times.

"Please…" The woman started as she studied their group's demeanor. They were obviously not Saviors. "I don't want to be here anymore. If you are leaving Sanctuary… If you have any room in that van… We would like to leave. Please."

"You're Ryan's wife." Carson stated as he looked to Mark with apprehension. The last they heard about Ryan was that he was put on assignment from Negan himself and hadn't returned. No one in his group reported back which could only mean one thing.

The woman nodded as her eyes widened. "Yes, have you seen him? Is he alive?" She asked.

"We don't know." Mark said but knew to stop there as the woman probably didn't want to know that Ryan potentially sold their group out.

Sasha walked up to the woman and looked down to the toddler. The woman looked somewhat scared as she wasn't sure who Sasha really was. Yet they were the only ones that were her key to escape. She had to trust them. Sasha slowly went down to pick up her toddler as the little girl appeared to be half asleep. Sasha straightened with the girl in her arms and looked the woman straight in the eye. "We will _make_ room." Sasha affirmed.

…

Sherry walked inside the kitchen to see two people guarding the door which led to the cellar; Daryl and Aaron. Daryl eyed her with distrust as she saw a red mark on his face from when she slapped him hours earlier. She had helped the doctors, Terri, and Yolanda with aiding the people who were knifed and was warned to stay away from the cellar for as long as she could. They were treating Dwight like a criminal. She didn't blame them. Trust was a hard thing to come by in their lives and Dwight knowingly broke it.

"Please let me see him." Sherry asserted as she stared at Daryl directly in the eyes.

"Sherry, it's not that we don't trust you," Aaron started when Daryl scoffed. "We don't trust him to be alone with you. Yesterday, I didn't think he would be the kind of person to shoot Rick but today he did. I don't know what he's capable of anymore."

Sherry pursed her lips and walked around the kitchen to think about her next step. They weren't giving her the option that she liked, but she needed to be down in that cellar soon or she would go crazy. She turned to face them in surrender. "This isn't about what you guys want for the safety of your people. This is about me choosing a side and I choose to believe that Dwight was coerced into shooting Rick. He would have never done that on his own." Sherry reasoned on behalf of him.

"I wish I could believe that." Aaron responded and looked to Daryl who was trying to avoid Sherry by staring at the wall.

"Doesn't matter what you believe. It's what I believe." Sherry continued, "So I choose to be down there with him. You treat him like a prisoner, then I'm one too."

"Just let her go." Daryl muttered as he glanced up slightly to Sherry. Sherry knew she shouldn't have felt gratitude in that moment but she did. She shouldered past Aaron and Daryl and opened the cellar door.

"Whenever you're ready to come back up, let us know." Aaron said before she walked down the stairs.

"I thought I was a prisoner now." Sherry said quizzically.

"Yer still family." Daryl answered as Sherry nodded with thankfulness. Indeed, the Alexandrian's were much different than the Saviors.

She stepped down the stairs slowly and saw there was only one light that was on the stairwell wall. The other lights in the cellar were off or burnt out. She made it to the bottom as she tried to make out shapes. Sherry then saw a figure move in the far corner. "Sherry?" Dwight asked as he cautiously made his way over to her.

Sherry quickly closed the gap between them and hugged him tightly as all the emotions of the last several days rushed out. He rested his head on top of hers as she just melted in his embrace and put her face into his chest. Never could she have picked a better partner in life and it be someone whom she seldom was allowed to see. It all came down to the people of Alexandria believing that he was innocent so they could live a somewhat normal life together. She needed that to happen.

"What happened?" Sherry asked as he held the back of her head and tightened his grip on her. "Why did you shoot Rick?"

"Negan threatened Takuya's life if I didn't do it." Dwight revealed as he continued to hold her. "He was going to kill him right in front of me."

Sherry looked up to him and nodded her understanding. She wasn't sure if the others would believe him. However, Negan had been known to play games with everyone's head to make them more complacent. Surely they had to understand that Dwight was under the same pressure that they had been in before in their separate predicaments.

Sherry eased her grip on him and started pacing the floor as Dwight watched her try and think of a plan. "Alright, we'll tell them the truth. That you were forced to shoot Rick. They have to believe that." Sherry said all the words in a hurry but knew she was scrambling at options. He had already shot an important member of Alexandria before Sherry even came to their community. It was the reason why Eugene wouldn't even look Dwight in the eye. Sherry took a couple deep breaths while trying to wrap her mind around the possibility that Dwight was in a ditch that he wouldn't be able to climb out of.

"And they'll buy that?" Dwight asked with skepticism.

"Don't say it like that." Sherry said frantically and continued to brainstorm. "Takuya could vouch for you. He knows the whole story."

Dwight sighed and shook his head. "That's a possibility. But it's still Tak's life that I chose over Rick. Simple as that." Dwight answered pessimistically.

"You didn't kill Rick, Dwight." Sherry responded with waning hope.

"Not yet." Dwight said with a worn voice and looked her in the eyes as she slowed her pace. "Sher, I never deserved their trust. If they see fit to get rid of me, that's their choice. Some of my past actions demand consequences." Dwight said evenly while Sherry blinked several times to keep from crying again.

"Dwight…" Sherry started but could feel the difficulty in the situation. Dwight hadn't just shot at a random community member; he shot a crossbow bolt at Rick. That was an offense that most people in Alexandria wouldn't be able to get over. Most would see death could have been the more deserved punishment for him.

Dwight walked slowly towards her and reached for her hand. He looked at Sherry's hand in his and wished that time could stand still where they were in that moment. "I promised that I would make your life better." Dwight uttered with defeat. There were so many things that he was unsure of and he had unfortunately run out of time to keep his promise.

Sherry's eyes watered as she closed the distance between them and gave him a tight embrace. She rested her head on his chest while he put a hand behind her head and settled his chin on top of it like he did before. "You did." Sherry wept and looked up to him while tears openly flowed. Dwight kept his hand on the back of her neck and kissed her forehead while he closed his eyes relishing in what he thought could be one of his last moments with her. "I love you." Sherry whispered.

"I love you too." Dwight repeated back to her softly and lifted her face so he could see every detail of it. He still was in disbelief that someone as beautiful as Sherry, inside and out, could love someone like him who had a half burned face and almost no soul. The idea was almost unfathomable. While he stared at her, Sherry proved to do another thing that surprised him. She went up on her tiptoes and kissed him on the lips. With too many years going by where he wasn't able to kiss her, he immediately reciprocated the kiss by pulling her towards him even more. It held the same amount of passion as it had a reverence to it. Together they had been through what some would have considered to be too much. But Dwight's feelings had never changed for Sherry and he swore that she would be last thing that he thought of before he died.

She broke their kiss as Dwight leaned his neck down while not yet ready for it to be over. "Can I stay with you until they need me for something upstairs?" She nearly pleaded.

Dwight nodded approvingly. "Absolutely." He responded as they held onto each other longer. Dwight wondered if she would ever let go. He hoped that she wouldn't only for his own selfish reasons. As they hugged each other, Dwight couldn't think of a better moment for his last day on earth. For years, he only wanted to be with Sherry. He was glad his wish came true if only for little while.

…

Dwight and Sherry sat up against the cold basement wall for several hours. Neither of them slept but stayed quiet while waiting for what would happen to Dwight. Dwight wrapped his arms around Sherry's waist comfortably and at one point he suggested that Sherry get in front of him so she didn't have to be against the chilly wall any longer. Sherry accepted his offer and sat in front of him as she rested the back of her head on his chest. Dwight then put his arms around her as they sat in their heartache and the chance that it could be one of the last few times that they could have. Just like before, there were limitations to their affection. Except this time, Dwight couldn't help but feel that it was entirely his fault.

The door opened to the cellar as someone walked down the stairs. Dwight could feel Sherry's heart beat faster from where his arm rested over her chest as they both stood up to face the music. Much to his surprise, it was Rick who slowly made his way down the stairs with Jesus, Daryl, and Michonne behind him. Daryl eyed Dwight but didn't give him a look of repulsion like several hours before. Dwight just looked to all of them as he held his breath while waiting for the verdict.

"The Saviors coated their weapons with walker blood." Michonne said factually as she looked to Dwight.

Sherry reached for Dwight's hand as he held it tightly. "Another Savior slipped me a bolt that didn't have anything on it." Dwight responded and looked to Rick. "You're okay?"

Rick nodded and took several steps closer to Dwight as he held his side. Dwight could see the struggle on Rick's face and the pain that every move caused but Rick looked to be fairly healthy. "Let's just sum it up and say that you have very lucky aim." Rick said in a somewhat compliment and stared at Dwight. "How did you know where to shoot?"

"I didn't have a clue." Dwight admitted. "I just guessed a spot that wasn't the most fatal."

"Then you do have lucky aim." Rick replied and held out a hand for Dwight to take. "You are on our side. Permanently now."

Dwight shook his hand firmly and accepted the invitation. Dwight saw that the bolt went clear through Rick's side as each end was visible. He could have only imagined what his outcome would have been had he killed Rick instead. It wouldn't have been forgiven.

"Another Savior slipped you a clean bolt?" Sherry asked and looked to Dwight. "One of your men?"

Dwight shook his head. "No. No, I never spoke to that guy about anything in regards to overthrowing Negan." Dwight revealed.

"That could be a good thing, right?" Jesus chimed in. Daryl was still noticeably quiet behind all of them. Dwight could tell that Daryl maybe felt a small tinge of guilt for punching him hours earlier but he wasn't going to admit it. "Maybe more of the Savior's are raising the white flag."

"I wouldn't be too surprised if they were. The conditions in Sanctuary are very dismal. We were starving over there." Dwight responded. "And the only ammo that they have left is in their guns. That information came straight from Negan's mouth."

"They are that low?" Rick asked while Daryl straightened at the news. It was useful intel even if Sherry realized that they were also low on ammunition themselves without Eugene at the factory.

"They were doing fine until their supply building caught fire mysteriously." Dwight said with a smirk. "You're welcome for that one, by the way." Sherry looked to him while evidently impressed. He smiled back at her as things were slowly falling into place in their favor for once. He squeezed her hand softly and loved the freedom that he had to do so.

"And do you know about the whereabouts of our people behind enemy lines? Sasha? Eugene?" Michonne asked with a mixture of optimism and uncertainty.

"I made sure to warn the men that were working with me that they were to lay low until we left for Hilltop. The last time I saw Eugene and Sasha, they were in good conditions." Dwight answered. "I took care of them for as long as I could."

Rick nodded and stared at Dwight. "You did good. Thank you for everything." Rick complimented but made a pained face. "Next time aim for a leg or something though."

"For sure." Dwight replied but then shrugged. "Hopefully there won't be a next time though."

"Brittany…" Sherry said softly as Dwight turned his head to face her but knew he was going to deliver grave news. "Is she still alive?"

Dwight shook his head. "She was bitten by a walker. Negan put her out of her misery." Dwight informed as Sherry looked down to the floor with sadness. Dwight knew Brittany and Sherry didn't get along at first but it was because of their animosity towards each other that they became to be better friends in the future.

Someone walked down into the cellar as they all looked up to the stairwell in response. Sherry saw Megan try and spot Sherry then Dwight in the darkness as Sherry's heart sank at the sight of her. Tears were streaming down her face as she almost looked irreconcilable. Sherry stepped towards her as Megan put a hand on her face and melted in despair. Sherry brought her into a hug as Megan leaned down to rest her head on Sherry's shoulder.

"What's wrong?" Sherry thought to ask as everyone else in the room stared at them with heavy worry.

"Takuya is sick." Megan responded into Sherry's shoulder. Sherry looked up to Dwight at the news as Dwight stared at them with an instantaneous bleak face.

…

Takuya laid down on the cot in the back of the room along with a sea of other wounded beyond repair. They were in that room to slowly die. Once the victims took their last breath, they would discreetly take care of the brain then cart them away.

Dwight should have remembered that Negan had previously loaded Lucille up with walker blood and even if Negan hadn't hit him on the head, Takuya was dead the second his shoulder was busted open. Dwight walked into the room of people saying their last goodbyes to their loved ones as he thought of every single moment that he had with Takuya.

They didn't really become close friends until they arrived in Sanctuary. It was after Takuya's oldest friend, Haruki, betrayed them that they formed a special brotherhood that helped Dwight fill the void of his recently deceased brother. They had endured being assassins in the name of Negan against their will. Each time they would go out on another kill mission, Takuya would always tell Dwight to remember his humanity. Dwight wondered if he would have turned out even more heartless if Takuya wasn't by his side for the past several years. He was one of the reasons why Dwight ever hoped for something more. There were multiple times when Dwight would refuse to think that their lives would grow to have more value beyond Sanctuary. However, Takuya always believed that they were destined for something great.

It was unfair. For all the times that Dwight was stubborn and couldn't believe in a life without Negan, he wished that he was the one that was on his death bed. If Negan was ever going to be killed in the near future, Takuya was never going to see it be fulfilled. Yet he was the one who had always rallied to get away from the Saviors and form a healthier survival method.

Dwight felt a lump form in his throat at the thought. Many of the deaths from Negan's hand were undeserved. Dean. Hannah. Jason. But this was one where an individual fought hard to keep compassion no matter how many years he had endured living amongst malevolent characters such as the Saviors. Whenever he could avoid killing someone, he would. Unlike Dwight. Never had Takuya _enjoyed_ killing even if it was finishing someone who was immoral. It never once gave him pleasure. More people needed to be like Takuya.

Dwight reached Takuya's cot and knelt beside it as Takuya looked at him with a small smile. Dwight tried to grin back but it was for not. Nothing made him more displeased than to see Takuya in his final moments. "Why didn't you say anything to me sooner? You had to know something was wrong." Dwight nearly chastised but his face came with too much grief than anger.

Takuya scoffed and shook his head. "What would the news do to you earlier? Other than get you killed? I knew if you refused to give out Negan's task that he would just kill you on the spot. I kept with my hunch. And look where you are. Out of Sanctuary. We all finally made it out." Takuya said weakly as he tried to stifle a cough.

Dwight thought about Takuya's words and selflessness and couldn't fight back some tears that emerged out of the corners of his eyes. "Jesus," Dwight remarked softly and stood up to walk several paces away. That was all Takuya was concerned about in his last day on earth. Was making sure that their group had _finally_ left Sanctuary. No matter how intense or close of a call it was, they had made it out and were partially free of Negan's reign. "Takuya, why did you worry so much about me?" Dwight asked as he forced himself to face the facts and kneel beside Takuya once more.

Takuya looked at Dwight as if he was crazy and exhaled deeply. "Dwight, all you have ever worried about in the last two years was our group. I only returned the favor." Takuya replied simply and relaxed his face. "You are still _my_ leader."

Dwight was wrought with emotion and put a hand to his forehead at what Takuya had said. The more time that went on, the more the realization sunk in that Takuya would miss out on the potential good life that he had always dreamed of. Takuya would never be around to know Megan more. Dwight would no longer have his best friend around. It hurt physically to have that compute in his mind.

"Please try and build something better with this group, Dwight." Takuya whispered. "I don't want to die for nothing. Neither does Jason."

"I will." Dwight said in a promise. Whether he tried to fulfill it with his last breath, he knew he owed it to Takuya.

"Good." Takuya said with a smile as his eyes grew heavy. "I don't think I have a lot of time. But I told Megan that I would enjoy her company for the last stretch."

Dwight nodded and gestured towards the door with his thumb. "Yeah, man. She's just in the hallway." He said then looked to Takuya again whose eyes were completely shut. "Takuya?" He asked and put a hand to his hand to nudge him softly. There was no response as Dwight buried his face into his hands as several tears escaped.

Dwight felt someone touch his shoulder as he looked up to see Daryl try to find Takuya's pulse. Daryl took a deep breath then reached for his sheathed knife. Dwight instantly had to stand up and walk away as he couldn't even be in the room to witness what Daryl was about to do. However, when he stepped out of the room and into the hallway, he saw what was left of his old group, Megan, Hansen, and Kevin as they glanced up to him with worry. Sherry was leaning against the wall next to Megan and Yolanda as Megan read Dwight's face and could see the mourning that was evident by the redness in his eyes. Takuya was gone and she knew it.

Megan let out a small cry as Sherry brought her into a deep embrace. Dwight just stood there while overcome with his own feelings in regard to losing his most trusted friend. Megan's cries nearly ripped a hole in Dwight's heart as he inwardly felt the same way that she did. There was so much potential for Takuya to live a long and healthy life while surrounding by friends and family. Megan embodied that lost hope as Dwight knew they were holding out to even speak to each other. Dwight leaned against the opposite wall and slid down to the floor while his palms tried to wipe at every tear that came. Out of all the losses that his group had had in the past three years, Takuya's was by far the most difficult. It was evident by the void that he already felt. Unsure of whether or not it could be filled in the future, the emptiness was still there. He felt raw from it.

He felt several arms around him as he gazed up to see red hair resting underneath his chin as well as Sherry on his other side. Dwight welcomed the comfort and put an arm around Megan and reached for Sherry's hand. It was in their shared grief that Dwight felt determined to make things different. He had to make sure that his promise to Takuya was accomplished. Dwight couldn't disappoint him.

…

Dwight and Daryl made a grave in silence for Takuya as Father Gabriel gave a quick eulogy before everyone went about their daily business. Dwight didn't even think to ask Takuya when he was alive what religion he was and if a burial and a eulogy would be acceptable. Hardly anyone knew Takuya personally but it was stated how much Takuya had helped Dwight in the resistance against Negan. His efforts didn't go unappreciated as nearly everyone grabbed a shovel at separate times to lay the ground back overtop Takuya's deceased body.

Pats on the shoulders or hugs were extended to Dwight but more especially Megan as she still appeared to be in shock that Takuya was gone at all. She had invested so many thoughts, like Takuya, about a better tomorrow and she wanted it to be with him.

Never was there a time during the short procession that Sherry, Ashlyn, Christy, or Amber weren't that far away from their red-headed friend. After Takuya was buried, Sherry requested that Father Gabriel say a small prayer for Brittany, Jada, and Lauren who had all lost their lives within moments of each other. The bond between sisters was stronger as they were the only ones still alive.

For the rest of the night, Dwight urged Sherry to get a couple of hours of sleep before the next day. He promised that he would do the same as Sherry and her friends stayed in Carol's room for the duration of their slumber. Carol didn't mind the company and was feeling antsy to be outside the room while commotion still went around for the upcoming war.

Dwight already told Rick that Negan would probably take his sweet time in making another attack because the Saviors weren't going to start a war when they returned. Negan had the full intention of Dwight using a walker-coated bolt on Rick. With the plans of Rick dying, Negan expected that all of the communities would surrender because their leader had died.

Space was limited for sleeping areas in Hilltop. Dwight decided to get some rest in the hallway outside of Carol's room so he would know when Sherry woke up. He didn't mean it as a way of being possessive or having a claim on her. He only wanted to enjoy each minute that he had with her. Time with Sherry was long overdue in his opinion. And he would have been a liar if he said that their kiss earlier in the night didn't move him. Dwight smiled briefly at the thought but then thought of Takuya's death which instantly made him upset all over again.

He then tried to get more sleep. However, being on a wooden floor with an already sore body wasn't suiting him well. All he could think of was what would happen when morning broke. What if Negan prepared for another fight? What if more people had to die before all if it was said and done? He shuddered slightly at the thought of more of his friends risking their lives. It had been a rough couple of weeks. Dwight then thought to himself and realized that the ambush on the Saviors, while they were headed to New Haven, had only been seven days ago. He was floored that things were moving so quickly yet it seemed that decades had passed in between those days.

Things could only escalate even more from then on out. Dwight hoped that Negan was already in the right attitude to compromise after being low on all supplies and the Saviors' morale. It was the same with the other communities. Each side was tired of fighting and as much as they wanted to point fingers on a common enemy, they had to realize that enough had happened. If they continued at their rate, there would only be so many people to fight and the reasons would have long been forgotten.

Dwight didn't believe a peaceful solution could take place. After everything that he had seen Negan do to innocent people, he couldn't believe that Negan would all of a sudden be a pacifist. That was the major difference between Rick and Negan. As soon as Rick would think of a grand solution, Negan would tear it to shreds. If Negan wasn't in control of every aspect of the communities, then there would be hell to pay.

Dwight kept that in mind throughout the rest of the night and still thought about it when the sun started to shine. The door to Carol's room opened as Sherry walked out to see Dwight sitting up against the wall. Worry formed on her face as she saw Dwight staring off into space. He quickly shook it away and smiled up at her and then stood up. His face winced at every move he made while doing so as Sherry smirked at him. "I feel the same way too." Sherry joked groggily.

After he stretched his arms out a bit, Dwight then brought Sherry into a light hug and kissed the top of her head. In his heart he knew they had to figure something if he was ever going to have more moments like that. He didn't know what he would do if he ever had to be separated from her again. "Good morning." He muffled into her hair.

"Is it?" Sherry asked as she held his forearms tightly. She looked up to him as he made eye contact. "What's the latest news?"

"I think Rick wanted some of us to talk about important plans for today." Dwight disclosed. "He wants you in there to add your two cents as well."

"Of course he does." Sherry mumbled but grinned. "How are you feeling today?" She thought to ask as his mind dwelled to Takuya when she asked the question.

"When today is finished, I could either feel a lot better or a lot worse." Dwight answered with a smirk. She kissed the top of his hand as they walked beside each other and went down the stairs to wait for Rick and the upcoming meeting.

…

News traveled that Negan's forces were preparing on their descent. Like Dwight predicted, they weren't being too hasty about their departure. Several people were already in the main room of the mansion getting settled while also conversing with each other. Dwight and Sherry took a seat on the couch while Tara looked to preparing a fire for everyone before the meeting took place. When Tara stood up, she glanced to Sherry with worry on her face. "How is Ashlyn?" She asked.

"She's doing okay." Sherry responded while Dwight wondered what was wrong with Ashlyn in the first place. "How are you holding up?"

"I'm actually not." Tara replied sadly as if she was almost on the brink of tears. It was in the quiet moments that everyone had time to breathe; that they could focus on how much loss that there was around them. When more people came inside the room, the more Dwight could see how many people were missing. Richard from the Kingdom had passed, Jason should have been in the room to discuss the next plan and multiple others were noticeably absent.

Dwight felt something land on top of his lap and looked to see that it was an unopen pack of cigarettes. He glanced up to see Daryl walking away and smiled to himself as he knew that was Daryl's way of apologizing for when he punched him in the face.

"You're a good man, Daryl Dixon." Dwight muttered to himself as he put the pack in his jacket pocket. Sherry nudged him when she saw Carol and Tobin slowly make their way into the room as she started to get off the couch so Carol could sit comfortably. Dwight followed Sherry's example as they both went to stand next to one of the large built-in bookcases that lined the larger wall. Carol smiled in gratitude towards them as Dwight saw Rick come inside the room while walking slowly with his own injury that Dwight had given him. Dwight couldn't describe just how guilty he had felt because of Negan forcing him to hurt a friend. He was only glad that Rick turned out to be alright.

"If everyone is here, I need you all to listen up." Rick said loudly as the conversations amongst people started to simmer down. "Dwight, can you explain to everyone what happened last night and what the significance is with that?"

Dwight looked at everyone as they waited attentively. "As you all know, the Saviors weapons were coated with walker blood. Yesterday night I was supposed to shoot Rick with a bolt that was dealt with in the same way. However, a Savior gave me a bolt that didn't have a trace of blood on it. It was clean. I don't know if this Savior intentionally gave that particular bolt to me or not but because it was clean, Rick is still standing. Negan is planning on Rick being dead today and the communities surrendering. As much as he didn't want Rick to be a martyr, he has now grown to be symbol of what it means to stand up to him. And that's even worse. He's desperate and pulling at strings."

"If he is desperate, that means we can reason with him, right?" Aaron asked but everyone in the room didn't want to hold out hope that that would be the case. They all were introduced to Negan as a man who couldn't be reasoned with.

"Yeah." Rick suddenly said as everyone was taken aback. They wondered what he meant by his one-word answer and waited to hear more. "I think if someone is desperate enough, they are able to listen to any kind of plea that's heading their direction. I have been there before and have sometimes been proven wrong."

"But that's you, Rick." Michonne tried to reason. "Not him."

"Yeah, even if he wanted to settle some kind of trade or partnership with our communities, I don't know if all us _want_ to pretend the last several months haven't happened. He doesn't deserve to live throughout all of this." Carol stated what everyone was thinking. Dwight could see Sherry glance up at her statement then look back down to the floor, silent once more.

"He deserves being brought to justice. And if he was a member of our communities, we would give it to him. But he is a neighboring leader. It's different. If we can try and settle something one last time, then we need to try." Rick said as he scrunched his forehead in distress. "The fact is that we cannot have another war. If we do, it needs to be quick and without casualties. This _has_ to be our final stand. If we fail, they'll come inside those gates on the hunt for blood. My children are inside these walls. I cannot let that happen. We need to try and have Negan see a compromise." Rick relayed his thoughts as Dwight fidgeted in his spot. It was exactly what he knew wouldn't work. "It's a compromise, or we do something drastic to see this whole thing through."

Dwight wanted to scoff at the suggestion but knew they didn't have many options other than what Rick had presented. Dwight had helped the Alexandrian's but he didn't have much of a say other than acting on what they asked him to do. It wasn't his place to make the calls over Rick. Rick had led them all to where they currently were. It was all up to him to make the best decisions for everyone. Dwight looked to Sherry to try and pick her brain but her face only read defeat.

"Sherry?" He asked quietly and put a hand on her shoulder. Sherry stared at the opposite wall in a trance as if the wall was going to eat her up. It scared Dwight. "Sher?" He asked again.

Broken from her train of thought, she glanced up to Dwight with the most tear-jerking face. Sherry demanded his attention as Dwight could see that she had settled her mind on some kind of solution. "I'm sorry." Sherry whispered to him and stepped forward as everyone in the room looked to her in question. "He's looking for control. If he doesn't have that then he'll fight for it." Sherry addressed while staring at the wooden floor beneath her. She looked up again to everyone as she was on the brink of uncontrollable emotion. "I have an idea to get him to listen to our plan… Our plan of working together as communities and ending all of this… All I need is five minutes alone with him."

It was the same feeling that Dwight had when Sherry and he spoke after Dwight had been burned. No matter how many times he tried to reach out to her, she was always barely out of arm's grasp. He didn't know the full extent of her plan or what she would say to Negan but he knew Sherry enough to know she was withholding information. The five minutes alone with Negan was coming with a price.

"Sherry," Rick started as he looked to Sherry with concern. "You have fought for us enough. You don't have to speak with him."

"If speaking to him face to face is the one thing that will change everything, wouldn't you want me to?" Sherry asked. "You want me to take leadership of something, let me make this executive decision. Negan and I have had our up's and down's but he still trusts me. I think that will go a lot further than you talking to him personally, Rick. He wouldn't even let you within two feet of him without thinking you have something else up your sleeve. And to speak to him with a compromise while his men are egging him on?"

Everyone paused as they knew what Sherry had said had been true. If anyone could reveal all of Rick's intentions to Negan on a more intimate level, it was Sherry. Dwight put a hand underneath his chin and massaged his cheek just to calm his nerves. He knew the weight on Sherry's shoulders and how much of an emotional toll it was to consider being in the same room with Negan. She hated him…and loved him… She didn't have to admit it to Dwight but he knew the truth even before she would accept it herself. He also knew how much Negan had hurt her. Whether her love was warranted and healthy or not, Sherry always knew that her feelings with Negan weren't as real as they were with Dwight. Yet they were still there and laid dormant underneath the surface. Seeing Negan wasn't an easy decision, let alone talking to him. However, Sherry was the only one who had established any kind of relationship with him. If anything was going to budge that day, Sherry was the only one to make that happen.

"I'm not asking your permission, Rick." Sherry said while looking straight at him across the room. "I need to see this through."

"If you can try and fix this mess," Maggie said sitting on the other side of Tobin. "I will stand by you, Sherry."

"Me too." Aaron said standing behind Maggie and nodded.

"I believe in you, Sherry." Carol chimed in. "I want this to be over with. No more killing."

"Same here." Michonne said as Ezekiel stepped forward to show his support and Mati did the same behind him. Tara stood up from her seat and looked to Sherry confidently. Hank and Jesus, who sat in the back, followed Tara's example and stood in their spots. All that was left was Daryl, Rick, and Dwight.

Dwight started shaking his head as he looked to the ground. For personal reasons, he didn't want to agree. He tried not to dwell on the past but it hit him like a brick wall. He thought of when he was tied to a chair and had to hear Negan raping Sherry. Negan had hurt something of his. Not wanting to take ownership of Sherry, but she was an influential part of his life. Whatever hurt her, hurt him in return. It made his skin heat up with anger instantly as he saw Daryl from the corner of his eye step forward and mumble his support.

Rick made eye contact with Dwight as they tried to read what the other was thinking. In resignation, Rick exhaled slowly and shook his head but turned his attention to Sherry. "I don't trust Negan to be alone with you." Rick stated. "The last time that happened…"

"It won't be like last time." Sherry said but winced inwardly while thinking about it. Dwight could assume that was when Negan was in Alexandria more than a month ago. He still hadn't received a lot of details regarding the encounter. "It will not be like last time." Sherry repeated with courage.

Rick huffed but then stared at her confidently. "I can't stop you." Rick surrendered.

Sherry then turned to look at Dwight who appeared somewhat conflicted at the choices he had. He wanted things to settle down like everyone else but he didn't want the person, whom he wanted to settle down with, to be put in jeopardy. He stared at her dark eyes and saw the sadness that had crept back in them. It was like she was mentally preparing herself to meet her monster once more. Dwight had been haunted by those eyes for years and hated to see them make a comeback. Yet Dwight had to accept that she was her own person and whatever he said could affect his relationship with her. Comfortable or not, he needed to man up and show his confidence in her.

"I'm with you no matter what." Dwight finally said as everyone then looked to Rick to see if their small meeting had adjourned.

"Alright, we'll have Sherry discuss moving forward from this with Negan." Rick said but then looked to Sherry. "We need to discuss what you are going to say to him. Alone."

Dwight stood next to Sherry as she looked up to him with assuredness. As everyone started walking out of the room, Sherry reached for Dwight's arm and patted it. "I know what I am doing. I promise." Sherry maintained.

Dwight sighed but nodded his head. "I know you do." He responded then started to head out the door.

…

"Sherry, what are you doing?" Rick asked her as she sat on the couch slowly while keeping the panic attacks at bay. Negan had been cruel to her in every possible way and she was going back to being around him. But she realized that it meant that everyone could go free and that she had to try.

"The sacrifice of one is a benefit for the many." Sherry uttered just above a whisper as she stared into the fireplace. What she was going to do meant that she could possibly never see Dwight ever again. But there was a chance that he could start over without being tied to something sinister. She needed to make an effort for him. "Rick, I know what to say to make him ease up on everyone else. I can guarantee you that it will all end today."

Rick just stared at her with worry and put his hands on the back of a chair. "We can't lose you too." Rick said. "You have become a part of this family, Sherry."

She couldn't guarantee her safety and she didn't try and reassure him as it would contradict what she was going to do. As much as she wanted to be stay with her new family, she had to walk into the fiery pit to insure their protection. "Family members leave, Rick. You know that." Sherry said and walked over to him and gave him a tight hug. He hugged her in return as Sherry tried to remember her first time meeting Rick. She had grown to like him as the protective older brother. In contrast to Negan, she could see that he radiated that persona for everyone in the group. He had provided for everyone. Sherry let him go and started walking out the room. She stopped suddenly and turned back to him. "Thanks for letting me be a part of something good for the last couple of months."

"Don't say it like it's a goodbye." Rick said evenly.

Sherry didn't respond back and just walked out of the room. "No guarantees." Sherry said to herself as she walked out of the mansion.

…

Dwight watched as Sherry went inside an RV that was parked just outside of the Hilltop gates as he slowly followed her. He wasn't going to try and convince her to change her mind. He just needed to know why she felt the need to sacrifice herself once more for other people. Like Takuya, she was far more deserving of a better life. He knew his heart would be rendered useless if anything bad happened to her as well.

The door to the RV was shut as he tapped on it lightly to let her know that she wasn't alone. He heard a small, "come in," as he opened the door and looked inside to see Sherry observing the insides of the RV and the objects that it also carried.

"Spring cleaning?" Dwight asked her lightly as he leaned against the back of the driver's seat and folded his arms. Sherry stopped looking around the RV and then gave him her full attention as she sat next to the small table and put her hands on the surface.

"I am just making sure this is a good meeting place for us, that's all." Sherry said cryptically and then looked to Dwight. "Are you mad at me?"

Dwight shook his head slowly and studied her. "Ever since you and I have met, we have always made decisions together and discussed it thoroughly. However we have been on our own for the last several years. As much as I want a say in what you do, I am not in charge of your choices. But no matter what, I will stand by you through thick and thin." Dwight proclaimed as he gazed at her with fondness.

Sherry appeared touched at his words as she almost looked like she was about to cry. "I'm sorry that I didn't talk to you sooner. It was just something that Rick said when he spoke to us." Sherry said as she closed her eyes. "He said to do something drastic so we can see this through."

"Sher, you don't need to do this." Dwight reasoned. "You never even have to see him again if that's what you want. If there is any other solution then we _have_ to try and figure it out."

Sherry looked at him with a forlorn face. "If I can do something to make all of this stop then I need to see that happen." She breathed and closed her eyes. "No one else has to die."

"But why you, Sherry?" Dwight asked while he knelt in front of her and took both of her hands in his. Sherry could see the desperation in his eyes as he tried to argue with her. "Why does this have to be you?"

"Because it only boils down to him and me." Sherry said while her stomach felt sick. But she needed to fulfill what she felt was right for everyone around her. Especially Dwight. "He'll listen to me, Dwight. I know he will."

Dwight exhaled while trying to swallow down the anger that he felt. He was terrified for her well-being and above all, he didn't want Negan anywhere close to her. But he trusted her and her intuition. He grumbled a curse and then looked her in the eyes again. "I'll be close by if you need any backup." Dwight offered knowing that she was resolved in her choice.

"I know." Sherry replied somberly and held the side of his face as she caressed her thumb over his cheek.

He put his own hand over hers and closed his eyes while living in the moment. He had never loved someone more in his life and wanted to shelter her from any more heartache. She felt the side of his face and traced every detail that had once been marred by a hot iron. Her eyebrows scrunched together in turmoil as she kissed the top of Dwight's forehead and kept her lips there for a small moment. When she broke a part she looked him in the eyes and cleared her throat as tears fell. "I'm so sorry that he did that to you." Sherry said as he thought of the moment he got his scar.

"I'm sorry for everything that he has done to you." Dwight replied back and raised his head and leaned forward to kiss her. She accepted the tenderness of the moment and kissed him sweetly. Dwight knew where her heart was. He just didn't want to see her go anywhere else. They heard a commotion outside as someone started to yell about the Saviors' arrival. They broke apart as Sherry wiped away her tears. Her time was coming where she had to do something drastic. Dwight helped her up as they started to leave the RV. Sherry breathed slowly as she had to blink back more tears. The hour approached for her last fight. No longer was she going to put a defense up from Negan. No matter how difficult of a decision it was for her, she had to hope it would work.

…

They all lined up along the gates as they waited for the Negan's men to walk up to Hilltop. Dwight and Sherry stood next to each other as Rick stood on her other side. Daryl was beside Dwight as they continued to watch the Saviors get closer and closer. Sherry spotted Negan instantly as she stared at him with furrowed brows. She felt Dwight's hand around hers in comfort.

Sherry could see the expression on Negan's face look perplexed as he stared at Rick with less than fondness. Negan periodically looked over to Miguel in question as Miguel just shrugged while appearing just as baffled at the outcome. When Negan got over the shock, his face quickly turned into anger as she could see him tighten his grip on Lucille and look at Rick with purpose. Rick's life completely ruined his plans as Sherry could assume that he hoped for the communities to be sorrowful and scared of another fight. Negan just didn't know that they were already both of those things. However, they weren't going to surrender.

"You've seen better days, Rick. That's for fucking sure." Negan finally said and stopped in his place which was only fifty feet from their group. The Saviors stopped behind him as he stared at Rick with a smile but masked his anger masterfully. "You might be on your last legs. Might as well end this today and go back to the way things were before."

"You ready to talk today?" Rick asked as he stepped forward a bit to confront Negan. Negan did the same as Sherry could see him bite the side of his lip. "We have all talked as a community. We are ready for this to end. Are you?"

Negan nodded as his men started walking closer to them. Sherry felt a little more than threatened at the grand magnitude of the Saviors all in one spot as they approached. As Negan got closer, he glanced at Dwight and Sherry standing beside each other and rolled his eyes. Once they were close, Rick and Negan were nose to nose while each side still stayed at bay ready for either of them to pounce.

"I want to let you in on a little secret," Negan started as Sherry could hear him very clearly. "I don't really enjoy killing. Your little Asian friend. Sure it was neat once I started… But I never wanted to do that. You made me do it. Don't make me do it again."

"Well, I want to let you in on a little secret." Rick replied with a straight face. "You must be the absolute stupidest fucking person still alive."

Negan pursed his lips and craned his neck while he squinted his eyes at Rick. He was taken aback by Rick's response as once again he tried to mask his anger and just have an honest conversation. "What?" He asked.

"You want to end this?" Rick questioned back. "Let's end this. Smarten the fuck up and let's do this right. Let's work together. We want a truce." Rick said firmly and started walking towards Negan. "That's all we want. I know there is a way that we can all work together and become stronger than ever."

"And my way isn't right, is it?" Negan asked in a mocking tone.

"No, because each leader of each community needs to depend on one another." Rick stressed. "No more fighting. No one new world order. Just trading and rallying together to fight the real enemy. We've become too preoccupied killing each other that we are doing the walker's job for them. And it doesn't need to be that way."

Negan started to laugh and looked behind him at his men. "This is fucking bullshit. All of this talk about peace. You are proposing we hold hands and sing songs? You're really going there? You're worse off than I thought. After what you have done to me? After what I have done to you?" Negan inquired as he stared down Rick. "No, the Saviors do not compromise."

"Then everyone dies around us?" Rick retorted back. "We will make it work. What the fuck are you fighting for? _We're_ fighting a fucking psycho who threatens to kill us if we don't give him half our shit. We're fighting for a peaceful way of life; after surviving a whole lot of not so peaceful times."

Negan scoffed at Rick's words and put his hands on his hips. "Frankly, I've just been defending myself from a bunch of ungrateful fucks most of the time. But mostly, I'm trying to restore order. Get things back to where they were before you came along and fucked everything up." He stopped as he looked to Sherry and Dwight who wouldn't have been able to side with Rick if he didn't make the move to overturn him. "You see, I know what it takes for people to survive. And it's someone like me. Someone to keep everyone in line. To keep everyone preoccupied so they aren't focused on how goddamn miserable they are. I'm saving lives."

"We keep this up long enough and we'll only be helping the real enemy win." Rick stated. "The walkers have already ripped us apart. We need to stop doing their work for them. There'll be none of us left."

"Bullshit." Negan said while looking unconvinced and almost amused at Rick's plea.

Sherry knew that the time for conversation was coming to a close so she needed to act on her instinct and sell her life away. She squeezed Dwight's hand beside her as he looked down to her with a questioning gaze. "I can do something." Sherry said quietly as he nodded and mouthed an okay. Sherry walked forward towards Rick and Negan as Negan stared at her in surprise. The last time that she was that close to him, he branded her shoulder blade with a knife. She fought the panic that arose and stared at him then pointed to the RV. "Can we talk in private?" She asked.

Everyone from both sides stared at them as they could hear a pin drop. Negan's expression went from glaring to sympathetic as he peered at Sherry. "What? You just going to give me the same mumbo jumbo that this shithead was giving me? He's selling what I'm not interested in buying." Negan said clearly in an angered tone.

"Then let me do my best to convince you otherwise." Sherry said as she grabbed his forearm and tugged. Negan let out a low growl but reluctantly followed Sherry to the RV. Sherry looked to all the people in the communities as their eyes followed her as she made her way inside the trailer. She kept the door open for Negan to enter behind her as he stepped up and shut the door.

The RV was cluttered with many papers or empty food cans laying around. Sherry took her place beside the small kitchen counter as Negan placed Lucille on the small table. He sat beside it and stared up at her. "You Rick's spokesperson now?" Negan joked as he put his legs up on the other booth underneath the table.

"No, but I'm still seeing something that you are missing, Negan." Sherry said as she folded her arms. "You can be stubborn all you want and convince yourself that you are leading Sanctuary for the greater good but you aren't looking at the bigger picture."

"Oh yeah? Then paint it out for me, Sherry. Because I have fought thousands upon thousands of walkers for each of their communities throughout the years and I'm still not seeing a lot of gratitude. How the fuck am I supposed to pretend that this fighting hasn't affected everyone involved." Negan fought back as his voice raised.

"That's something that you and Rick can agree on. Don't forget that you were the one that shed blood first. He's just trying to fight fire with fire." Sherry countered as she wouldn't budge her stance. Her heart was beating fast as Negan looked at her. The realization that she was alone with him was starting to make her feel claustrophobic. Especially since he started to stand up and towered over her.

"That's debatable." Negan said as he put his face merely inches away from hers. "If you are going to sell me something, make it worth my while." His presence was almost intoxicating as it stirred a lot of emotions for her. She had recognized every part of his face and thought about the good moments that they shared. He was able to make every bad thing that he did to her a fading memory but she tried to keep those thoughts alive just to make her life easier.

"Negan, think about how many people are divided between each community." Sherry said as she brought her hands to rest on the counter top behind her. "We could establish trading and building safer places to live. We could fix roads and set up farms. With how many people working together, we could all accomplish so much. People wouldn't have to focus on how miserable their lives are anymore if they all have one common goal. Rick wants to rebuild civilization. That's what he is working towards. Not just fighting you but to fight for _that._ Can't you just see that for a brief second?"

"And like everyone wants me to be a part of that!" Negan baffled and stared at Sherry. "You don't want me to be a part of that future. I know you."

"I want to see everyone try for something like that. Including you." Sherry retorted as Negan walked away for a moment to gather his thoughts around Sherry's proposal. Somehow Rick's vision wasn't appealing enough to Negan as he continued to shake his head. Sherry just looked down and bid her time. "Negan what are you really fighting for?"

"Shit, Sherry, I don't know. I established some really good survival methods for everyone that was fucking involved and someone is telling me that it's wrong?" Negan said while raising his voice.

"So it's because of your pride?! That's the reason why all of these people have died?" Sherry said while matching his tone. Her voice shook all the same because every time she had yelled at him, he lashed out. "Negan, think for a second! Each side doesn't have a lot to go off of. This is the last time that we can really make a difference!"

"Why are you so worried about all of this?" Negan turned on her and grabbed her shoulders firmly. "So you can cozy up to Dwight late at night? That's all you really want out of this!"

Sherry pushed him back as he stared at her with disbelief that she fought him away. "If you think for a second that I am in this for my own gain than you don't know me at all, Negan. I have always done things to protect everyone around me. Please, Negan. Rick has a good idea where everyone can benefit. You need to budge on this! Please!" Sherry said as she tried to calm her nerves down while breathing slowly. Negan punched one of the kitchen cabinets to vent as Sherry jumped slightly and took a step back.

"NO!" Negan yelled as he punched the RV wall. His eyes looked enraged as she could only see the pupils dilated. There was no sense in talking to him while he was the way that he was.

"Stop!" Sherry shouted back and tried to put a hand on his shoulder but he shoved her away. "Negan! Stop! Just think this all through! You need to consider this before everyone gets killed!"

Negan faced her as he grabbed her wrists. Sherry drew breath sharply as she began to pant as she needed to try and bring him back down to a rational level. She inclined her head to put her forehead up to his jawline as calmed herself in order for him to follow suit. "Negan…" Sherry whispered as he tried to relax his muscles. It was slowly working.

…

"What's taking so long?" Dwight muttered as he looked to the RV. Truthfully, it hadn't been longer than two minutes but every second felt extended past the breaking point. Negan was able to kill in a matter of seconds. Dwight didn't want her in there with him for more than that.

"She'll come through for us." Daryl stated next to Dwight as they all continued to stare at the RV and wait.

…

"Matthew…" Sherry said his _first_ name quietly as she put both hands on his chest. There were weeks where Negan was her only sense of comfort when she lived in Sanctuary. It would be weeks where he would force her to stay at his house without even seeing or speaking to other people. And there he was again. Standing right in front of her. A part of heart even leaped at the thought but soon dropped low as she felt sickened that he made her like him. _Love him,_ Sherry thought as her face broke its composure. It was the first time that she could admit it to herself. Somewhere deep down inside, she had loved Negan. Sherry wanted to scream at herself for being so feeble in regards to him. It hurt her heart to be so conflicted.

Negan closed his eyes as if soaking in the moment with her. The sincerity behind the way that she said his name rang through as he put a hand to her cheek. Sherry knew what Negan really wanted and she had to make the ultimate sacrifice for the people that stood in between them. If it worked, then so many lives would be saved because of what she had to do. "Would you leave these people alone and work something out with them if I promise to come with you to Sanctuary? No one else included. Ashlyn, Megan, and Christy… They have been through too much. Just me. And I promise that you will never hear me complain again. I will do whatever you ask. And I will try to make you happy. Just please try and make things work with Rick." Sherry pleaded as she looked into his dark brown eyes.

Negan looked up slightly as he sighed disconcertingly. He then brushed a hair behind her ear and considered her face as his finger traced her jawline. Sherry could see it in his eyes that he was more than taking into account the offer that she provided him. Which made what she was going to do even more difficult. He gently pushed her back towards the kitchen counter and pressed his body against hers. Sherry's eyes watered as she put her hands back on the counter once more and discreetly started searching for an item that she had planted there before while keeping one hand wrapped around his middle.

"You mean it?" Negan asked as he almost smiled at the concept.

"I would do it if I had no other option." Sherry stammered as she tried to hide back the tears.

"Sherry, nothing would make me more thrilled than if you…" Negan started but was cut off as Sherry quickly stabbed him with a knife squarely in the gut with all of her might as it tore into his skin. She had planted the knife in the RV before as it hid under the debris on top of the counter. His hold on her was like a vise grip until his stumbled backwards to sit at the booth. Disoriented and confused, he stared at the bloodied knife in Sherry's hands as Sherry looked at it herself as if she wanted to throw up. She just stabbed someone that she cared deeply for. _Loved._

He stammered out painful breaths as he gulped in the air around him like he was drowning in water. Negan stared at Sherry in complete disbelief that she had done something so low and so conniving towards him. Sherry even started to cry as the rain of guilt poured over her.

"I'm so sorry." Sherry mourned as she walked away from him. "But I don't want anyone else to die because of you." He stumbled awkwardly towards her in the RV as she opened the door to leave.

"You bitch." Negan seethed but Sherry could hear the hurt in his voice which made her cringe and her heart hurt. "You said you wanted to be together."

Sherry stepped out of the RV and glanced back at him. "I lied." She sobbed and shut the door on his face.

 **AUTHOR'S NOTES, TRIVIA, & FACTS – **

**#1 – So I was thinking about making a sort of spinoff of the moments that Negan & Sherry have had together in between books 2 & 3\. Yeah, the kind of good, the terrible bad, and the very ugly scenes that I couldn't squeeze into flashbacks for books 3 & 4 because there was just so much information in the present that took priority. IF you want that one-shot, dark book to really delve into Sherry's confusing feelings regarding Negan, please let me know via private message or review! It's not necessarily a book that I have been DYING to write as it deals with some really dark themes (rape, control, Stockholm's, to name a few) but some days when I am having a blue period, I need to write something that will take the edge off my own past life. Writing helps with that. So updates will be few and far between (just forewarning you now)… But if you like the dark, let me know. I have a couple of stories written I just didn't know if I should share them or not. I would include the couple of flashback scenes that I have put into both Vessel & Cruel World and would make the book a one-shot and out of order in scenes. I'll date each scene so you know where it falls into chronological order. Maybe a couple of dream sequences of Dwight if you are Team Dwight (and really, why aren't you?). **

**#2 – Soooooo, I wasn't planning on killing Takuya if I'm being completely honest…. HOWEVER it would be an error that I couldn't avoid after all that talk with staining their weapons and Negan had already done such before hitting Takuya in the shoulder and arm with Lucille. While writing chapter 12, I was having serious debates on whether or not to kill Takuya then. After deliberating, I decided to keep him alive… I usually keep character injury charts on a separate Microsoft Word but I totally forgot to write down that Lucille is set to kill no matter where she punctures. I realized this AFTER I wrote the scene of Megan & Takuya speaking to each other for the first time. But I decided to keep that scene anyways. As gut-wrenching as it is. Don't worry, I feel the pain too... And I was definitely rooting for Megan & Takuya to be a couple if things ever settled down. It almost physically pains me that Takuya had to leave. He was one of my favorites and an ever loyal friend. RIP Takuya. I will miss you the most.**

 **#3 – "Guest" reviewed with Chapter 12 about the worry of Dwight's character in the TV show. Austin Amelio himself (who plays Dwight on The Walking Dead) accidentally told me what his character development would be. Oops. That was seven months ago…at his and my first ever convention that we attended. I wasn't even trying to hound him or press for any details but he spilled the beans anyways while we were talking about the comic books. I guess the only thing I can say is….time will tell? I don't want to share a secret that I don't know if I'm allowed to share or not haha. But very nice guy!**

 **#4 – I have decided to add little sneak peeks to my profile for the next upcoming chapter. So if you cannot wait for the next chapter…check my profile for a paragraph or two to hold you over until the entire chapter is published.**

 **#5 – "It was like the face of Sanctuary had been nearly destroyed…" Eye for an eye, Dwight?**

 **#6 – I have been a lifelong Cubbies fan. And remember that this book is set in 2013. Indeed, the last World Series that the Cubs have been to for THEM would have been in 1945! So the curse of the goat lives on in their dystopian world. Goat doesn't have much power anymore! Hell yes! Also, Sherry's family, the Ciccone's, are avid Chicago Cubs fans as well. HOLY COW! There were ugly tears last night. I cried for 30 minutes straight; not even joking.**

 **#7 – "Sherry breathed slowly as she had to blink back more tears," is a subtle homage to Negan's line, "You can breathe, you can blink, and you can cry." I thought it fitting that that was her emotion upon seeing him again.**


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

With her shirt bloodstained and drenched, she walked out of the RV and closed the door behind her; leaving Negan to bleed out alone. She had hoped that the knife wound would prove to be fatal but couldn't stay longer to finish out the task. Her heart had already felt heavy at what she had just done. Never had anything been so complicated in her life. Never had she felt like something was so wrong yet right at the same time. She stuck a blade in Negan's gut as hard as she could where it was almost as deep as where the knife handle began.

Tears kept on falling as sounds of shock emerged from both sides of her but she couldn't look up to view their faces. She just stared down at the knife that was in her uncontrollable shaking hands while wind blew some strands of her hair across her face. Murmurs started to erupt on the Saviors side as they started frantically asking for Negan. One man even opened the RV door behind her and walked inside to inspect.

"Holy shit!" She heard him exclaim as the door slammed closed once more with him inside.

Sherry was in a fog. She knew the things that were happening around her but it wasn't transferring properly to her brain. She heard rhythmic movements against the dirt below her as the sound grew closer and closer. Someone grabbed both of her shoulders while she blinked several times to make some overflowing tears fall in order to see clearly. It was Dwight as he stared at her with concern and then down at her bloodied shirt. She could see him mouth, "what happened" but she couldn't hear him say anything above an echoed whisper. Feeling herself on the verge of a mental breakdown, she tried to swim back up to the surface of her psyche.

"I…" Sherry started and blinked several times again. "I think I did something wrong."

"Sherry," Dwight started sympathetically as Rick stood beside him.

"You did everything right. If you weren't going to do it, then I was." Rick quickly said at the same time that they heard steps inside of the trailer. The sounds of turmoil from each side were growing even louder and restless. Dwight ushered her away from the RV as quick as possible and put a protective arm over her shoulder to get as far away from the scene that was about to explode. Sure enough, they heard Negan stumble out of the RV with grunts of anger and pain. Sherry stiffened as Dwight tightened his hold on her in response as her own fear resounded throughout.

"Sherry!" Negan yelled loudly but with an exhausted voice. "That shit does not happen!"

Dwight continued to walk further away from Negan with Rick behind them as he tried to push Sherry along to do the same. Sherry could hear the heartbreak in Negan's voice when she knew others couldn't. It practically killed her. Sherry turned around to look at Negan at the same moment that he fell to his knees in a heap. He grasped his side tightly then let out another yell of indignation. Other Alexandrian's crowded the open space in between her and Negan as the Saviors started doing the same. Sherry could feel the air around them getting more precarious as each side began to shove one another in the heat of the moment.

"Sir, we need to get you to a doctor." One of the Saviors beside Negan suggested cautiously.

"No! If my people want to get things back to the way they were, WE NEED TO FUCKING ACT NOW!" Negan urged his men as various people in his crowd started staring manically at the community members.

"No, there is another option!" Rick shouted to the people of Sanctuary. Sherry saw Rick as Dwight loosened his hold on her to observe the scene as well. "You can all surrender! Let us take Negan and we will not attack! You can appoint a new leader and return home."

Dwight felt something stir inside of him at Rick's seemingly flawless proposal. Earlier, Negan was planning on the communities surrendering upon Rick's supposed death. Rick had decided to turn the tables on Negan with the exact same idea. The plan seemed plausible and with Negan not in the right shape, almost similar to how Rick was the day before, the Savior's could see that Negan was no longer a god. Dwight looked at all the Saviors as they glanced at each other. No one was willing to step up to the plate and declare themselves able to preside as Sanctuary's new leader. _You could,_ Dwight thought as he shook his head at his own suggestion.

Then sudden movement caught his eye near the RV. The crowd started making way as Dwight's eyes started focusing on the unseen force. He then saw Negan running at full speed towards Rick. Knife wound aside, he was enraged at Rick's offer to the Saviors. It was one thing to work out a solution; it was another to be booted from his own comfortable seat as the leader of the Savior's.

Negan tackled Rick to the ground as they fell at Dwight & Sherry's feet. Dwight gently pushed Sherry away from the danger and towards the community members as he instantly tried to pry Negan off of Rick. Masses of people started pushing each other or throwing punches. Things were drastically starting to unravel into madness.

Suddenly, Dwight was pushed away by other Saviors as they defended their leader while the community members scrambled forward to aide Rick. It was a swarm of people nearly piled on top of each other as Dwight had a hard time pin pointing who was who. In a panic, Dwight looked around to see if he could see Sherry. There was no sign of her. He had pushed her towards Hilltop to get away from the violence yet he was still worried that something happened to her.

Things were escalating even more when he saw several Saviors unsheathing their knives. Some carried their guns but Dwight knew they had to make every bullet count if they had used that particular weapon. The first kill of the morning went to Hank from New Haven as he was quick to see the Saviors starting to attack with an intense brutality. He produced his gun and shot a Savior who was attacking a smaller woman that Dwight remembered seeing at the Kingdom. Hank tried to shoot again but was officially out of ammunition. He then started using the gun to hit Savior's over the head to incapacitate them.

Dwight reached for his crossbow behind him and started loading it hastily. One man tried to grab him but was soon expired as a bolt protruded from each side of his head. Dwight saw Daryl at his side with a crossbow raised then nodded to Dwight. "Ya got my back an' I got yers." Daryl expressed quickly as the men fell to the ground. Dwight loaded his crossbow as Daryl yanked his bolt from the man's head. When Dwight's crossbow was ready to go, he raised it up and instantly found a target who was charging towards Michonne. The bolt pierced through the man's ear and fell sideways as Michonne looked to Dwight with gratitude but then went back to business.

 _339,_ Dwight thought then loaded another bolt.

…

Sherry hardly felt herself being pushed away from the skirmish. It was almost like she was in an out of body experience or under the influence. The trauma of what had just transpired with Negan was trying to crash through and torture her endlessly. People were yelling and cursing around her as they ran towards the danger to defend their leader, their homes, and their safety.

 _Rick,_ a quiet voice in her head uttered. She watched Rick be attacked by Negan but had since been shoved away to see if he had eventually made it out. Everything was still like walking through a fog yet she tried to pull herself together. The contention started because of her and she needed to finish it.

For a long time, Sherry was unable to take action against Negan. He had treaded over her numerous times while she stayed helpless in the forsaken predicament. Her heart felt squandered after years of abuse. Sherry still held the knife in her hand that she had used to stab Negan and looked down to it with a mixture of relief and sadness. His hold on her was over. She saw that Negan could bleed. Sherry finally took control of the situation and attempted to murder him.

Sherry was brought back to reality as someone in their haste had accidentally tripped her. She landed on her rear but hardly felt the pain that came with it or the multiple people practically tripping over her as they went about their hurried business.

She then heard a faint voice that startled her as the noise that surrounded the pileup seemed deafening. It was almost as if in her blank state that she was able to zero in on something that she was meant to listen to. Sherry didn't know how to describe it. It was a faint whisper yet she could hear it over the thunderous noises around her.

"Sherry…" She heard someone whisper. It was a call for help. There was a plea within the tone. Sherry continued to be stepped on or kicked but studied her surroundings knowing that whatever the sound was took precedence. It was the only thing that she could focus on for the time. Somehow she knew that she had to continue listening to the voice. As bizarre as it was, she needed to find where the source was coming from and fast.

She looked everywhere slowly while viewing the large group of people in front of her. Then she saw a heap of deceased bodies that had already been tossed to the side like garbage. Sherry ignored the brutality of the situation and continued her search. But something caught her eye at the bottom of the dead mass as an arm seemed to be reaching out to her specifically. Sherry could see the hand be either stepped on or brushed aside.

"Sherry…" She heard while it was muted a little bit more at the same time that Sherry forced herself to stay mindful of everything around her. She went to stand up but was pushed over again as someone charged into the circle. Sherry groaned as she felt the grit of that land while walking up from her state of shock. She finally got to her two feet and started ambling over to the dead bodies while she moved everyone out of her way.

In her gut, she knew who the arm belonged to. He would have already been too weak to fight because of his side injury. Sherry knelt down beside the dead bodies and reached for the hand. She had seen the shirt that was rolled up at his forearm and knew her suspicions to be correct.

"Rick?!" She exclaimed in a hushed manner so she wouldn't draw attention to any Saviors nearby. If they knew that he was buried and defenseless, that would prove to be a problematic situation. She even looked around her to see if she was in danger but she appeared to be unspotted from the general public still. "I'm going to get you out of here, Rick!" She said with determination as she mentally pushed herself away from the block that consumed her. Sherry held his hand to have him be aware that she was still there and had no intention of abandoning him. More bodies were being disposed of on top of Rick that were both Savior's and community members alike. Meanwhile, he was getting more and more enclosed at the bottom. He need to escape quickly.

Sherry grabbed his arm with her other hand and started to tug desperately. He didn't even budge under the weight that was on top of him. Still holding Rick's hand, Sherry looked around to find someone to come to their aide. She then spotted Aaron who was trying to hold some community members' back so they wouldn't partake in the violence.

"Aaron!" She yelled towards him until she finally got his attention. It took several more shouts when he finally looked in her direction. She gestured for him to come quickly as he started weaving through the restless crowd. She turned her attention back to Rick. She didn't know if he could hear her anymore but she squeezed his hand regardless. "We're going to get you out of here!" Sherry assured. Rick clasped his hand tightly around hers in response which made Sherry breathe a sigh of relief to know that he was still responding.

"What's wrong?" Aaron asked as he knelt beside her.

"We need more help! Rick!" Sherry pleaded while holding his hand up.

Alarm sunk in on Aaron's face as he looked at the pile that was nearly waist high. Suddenly one of the dead bodies had reanimated at Sherry's eye line while Aaron took out his knife and was quick to take care of it. Aaron wore another face after the ordeal then looked to Sherry. "Sherry, he could already be one of those things!" He said while trying to have her see reason since Rick was at the bottom of a dead body pile. "If it is Rick, it's probably too late."

Sherry impatiently grabbed for Aaron's hand and made him hold Rick's hand. "Rick! Squeeze Aaron's hand twice if you can hear me!" She said. Sure enough, she watched as Rick did as he was told followed by muffled sounds of near anger while Aaron let go and started getting to work once more.

"Okay!" Aaron said then stood up. He started removing bodies on top of Rick one by one while Sherry tried to help him. After two people that were already dead weight, Rick's hand started patting the ground urgently as Sherry could interpret it as him needing to escape quickly. He was being suffocated from the load on top of him.

"This will take too long!" Sherry stressed while trying to push another body away.

Aaron looked around for more people that could assist them. "Mati! Michonne!" He called to the individuals that he could see. They all ran towards them as he pointed to the bodies. "Rick is underneath this!"

It took no further explaining as Michonne waved down Ezekiel so he could help them while they all looked to the pile in a panic then started shoving the dead bodies to the side. Aaron and Sherry joined in the frantic search to free Rick. Sherry watched as Mati rolled over bodies two at a time. Several more reanimated as Michonne got rid of both of them in one fell swoop. The pile was getting a lot smaller due to their combined work as Sherry could finally see Rick's face. Mati and Aaron grabbed both of his hands and helped him up. Immediately Rick had to lean against Mati for support as he held his side in pain.

Michonne and Sherry walked up to him with worry in their eyes as he looked down but waved in assurance. "I'm okay," Rick said as he took a couple of deep breaths.

"We need to get out of this area before we draw too much attention," Ezekiel said while they all helped Rick out of the dangerous area. Even as they walked, Michonne had to gut a Savior that charged at them with defiance. They kept low and they kept Rick covered.

"I fell once Negan attacked me. I was able to crawl away when everyone started charging each other. My body gave out for one second and that was when people thought the dead were going to be stacked," Rick explained but looked behind him at the horrendous sight of people fighting. "We need to get people to stop."

"The Savior's are too angry to listen to reason," Mati argued.

"Not all of them are fighting though," Michonne said as she looked beyond the fight and at Negan's men. Sherry saw what Michonne was looking at and could see several Savior's unsure of what to do. They looked upon the knife and fist fight almost with embarrassment that their men were getting so riled up when Rick had only offered a solution of peace moments earlier. Yet no one stood up to take control of Sanctuary. Sherry wondered if that was all they were waiting for.

"We need to get rid of the Saviors that are putting up a struggle." Ezekiel said then looked to Rick. "They are showing us which ones are still loyal to Negan. They need to be brought down while we still have a chance. There can be no discussion until they are gone!"

Rick nodded in agreement then brought his attention to Aaron. "We need eyes up high so we can take as many of their fighters down. Quickly. The sooner this is over, the sooner we can all have a good sleep tonight." He said almost in contentment. Sherry could feel the end upon them. It felt good to know that they didn't have to live that much longer under Negan's command.

…

Dwight put his crossbow around his shoulder and produced his knife when the Saviors were quick to expose of Daryl and Dwight's bolts if they saw them anywhere around them. Leaving the crossbows to be utterly useless, Daryl did the same as they decided to get into the massive group of people fighting tooth and limb.

Daryl grabbed the first Savior by the shoulders and faced him to stand in front of Dwight while Dwight plunged the knife through the guy's forehead. Daryl then pushed him away from the people as they worked together to eliminate all threats that surrounded them and their group.

"Is Rick still in the middle of this shit?" Dwight asked Daryl as they continued to fight alongside each other.

"I don't know," Daryl answered gravely but then looked as if distracted by something else. "Tara!" He yelled as Dwight drew his attention towards where Daryl was looking. He saw Tara being dragged away by one Savior with a knife at the ready. Daryl bolted to help her as Dwight was right behind him. They fought the others around them as they tried to assist Tara in her time of need.

Dwight's eyes were fixed on the back of Daryl's head when something caught the corner of his eye. A Savior then stepped in between Daryl and Dwight as he barreled into Dwight and tried to push him down to the ground. Dwight easily shoved him off then quickly punched him in the cheek but then was apprehended by multiple Saviors at once. They all forced him down to the ground while Dwight fought tooth and nail to be free of them. It took the six men to pin him down as Dwight saw Negan limp into the circle of men with a knife in hand.

"At long fucking last!" Negan said while Dwight continued his struggle against the men. "Maybe this will help him hold the fuck still." Negan said while he quickly took a knee beside Dwight and brought the knife over his head. Dwight closed his eyes shut and then felt the sting pierce his upper arm where all the nerves laid just above his triceps. He let out a yell of sheer misery from the wound as Negan tried to smile in response but too wounded to really let the happiness show. He stood up while several Savior's eased their grip on Dwight. Dwight tried to move but the knife that was still lodged in his arm and the dirt beneath him tugged at the rest of his nerves.

"What did you think was going to happen today, Dwight?" Negan asked as he stared down at him. "Did you really think we were all going to be friends and get along? The fuck kind of fantasy do you live in? What makes you think that the Savior's would ever bow down to anyone other than me? I keep them all alive!"

Dwight tried to move his other hand to pry the knife out of the ground but a Savior pulled it away as that movement made the knife shred at more flesh. Dwight hollered out in pain once more as Negan had the audacity to laugh at him.

"I want you to die today." Negan affirmed. "I want you to motherfucking die. Am I just supposed to let you walk away from all of this and live happily ever after? Fucking bullshit. You don't deserve a happy ending." Negan stepped on the knife hilt as the knife sunk further into the dirt while Dwight wailed again at how painful the experience was. "I want you to see something before you kick the bucket, Dwight. Something that you brought upon yourself." Negan nodded towards one of the Saviors as he handed him a gun.

"If I can't have her…" Negan said as he lifted his gun and eyed everyone in the distance. Dwight could only stare upwards towards Negan as various Saviors surrounded him. If he tried to move, his arm would be cut up even more than it was. The pain was beyond excruciating as nerve damage was clearly evident with how he felt. It didn't help that his arm shook like an electric current waved through it.

Negan's arm stopped as grinned maniacally. _If I can't have her,_ Dwight thought of Negan's last words as fear made him realize that Negan had found Sherry before he had. "NO!" Dwight yelled. _No one can._

…

"Quick!" Aaron said as he started pacing towards the mansion. "We need to get to better vantage points and cover our people from the top of the fences! We'll use all the ammo we have and make it count!"

Sherry followed Aaron and various other fighters as they ran towards Hilltop's barricade. Running for dear life and for the sake of others, she continued to keep the urgency in her thoughts as any upper hand was better than none. The community members were being swamped at every corner and needed eyes on Saviors.

And there it was again. Sherry's ability to focus on one particular thing sprouted up once more as it sent tingles down her spine. This time, it wasn't a voice that stood out in need of help. This time, it was a whooshing noise that was hurtling towards her. Before she could react or decipher what it was, she then felt a force that swept her off her feet and out of control. Her back arched while she felt a sudden burst that skidded the side of her upper ribs. She fell from the impact that had knocked her off balance as her head hit the rocky ground harshly. In shock, she blinked several times while breathing through the pain. However, the more she gained realization, the more her body started to shut down in response. Sweat broke from all pores of her body as the sting increased on her side. Sherry started panting in huffs as she could feel herself being turned over on her back. She yelled at the movement and tried to point to her right side but her body was shaking uncontrollably. For the second time in her life, she had been shot.

"Sherry!" Aaron said overtop of her. Sherry could feel a large chunk of skin had been blasted off. She tried to feel with her hands but Aaron held them tightly so she wouldn't touch the spot at all. Tears stung her eyes as they rolled to the side of her face. She could only see Aaron's above her as he tried to assess the wound. He watched him hiss as he looked at her side and then to her in worry. She then saw another figure come close to her followed by sounds of fear.

"Her lungs! Were they punctured?!" Kevin asked Aaron then knelt beside her. "Sherry? It's Kevin. Can you breathe without feeling like your lungs are going to collapse?"

"I…don't…know…" Sherry said through the tremors.

" _He wants you."_ Dwight's voice echoed in her thought process. Sherry was quick to glance around to see if she could see Dwight around. He was nowhere within hearing distance but the voice continued again. _"One day, I promise to make things better for you, Sherry. I promise."_

It boiled down to her and Negan. She had known that for quite some time. She looked at Aaron and remembered that he lost someone _because_ of Negan. They had all been through hell. Sherry was determined to end it once and for all. She wouldn't let being shot prevent her from doing so. Sherry tried to will the pain away for several more minutes as she tried to come to. She forced herself to sit up and wailed in overwhelming pain as she could feel her heartbeat pulsate throughout her entire body as if someone was banging her over the head.

" _Please never lose hope, Sherry. I don't know what I would do without you."_ She heard Dwight's voice say again as it spurred her upwards to try and be on her feet. The words that went through her head were memories. It had been _years_ that they all hoped for better lives. She couldn't lose hope on the day that it could potentially all be finished.

"Sherry? What are you doing?" Aaron asked her.

"You need to stay down, Sherry!" Kevin urged but Sherry shook her head.

"No!" Sherry assured in a fragile voice.

" _This can't be all there is for us."_ Dwight said as she remembered when he said it. It had been after Negan had just done the unthinkable to her and in her lowest moment. With her feet planted on the ground, she slowly situated herself to stand up but her body still shook. She panted as she felt cold but kept fighting through it. "No," she said in a determined but shaky voice. "No."

" _I promise you that he will pay for everything that he has done to you."_ His voice echoed once more. She started walking towards the squabble and gained a little more endurance with each step that she took.

" _I will wait for as long as I need to…I will still be there for you."_ Sherry got out her knife once more and yelled as she plunged it down in the back of a Savior's neck who had his hands on one of Ezekiel's personal guards. He fell down as Sherry twisted the knife then yanked it out. Pain was still fighting its way to be on the forefront of her mind but she kept it at bay until the madness around her was over. She had one goal to find Dwight in the mess of people. If Sherry ended up living through her bullet wound, she would rather have died if Dwight wasn't around to reap the benefits of Negan being overthrown. She had been so close to having him once and for all. Sherry needed to fight to keep him.

…

"You son of a bitch!" Dwight yelled towards Negan as he read the satisfied then distressed face that he held once he pulled the trigger. Negan's mixed emotions at what he had done were starting to form as Dwight tried to pull the knife out of the ground beneath him so he could fight. Someone grabbed his hand away as Dwight thought to let go of the hilt before it was pulled along with his arm.

A Savior held his wrist firmly and looked to Negan. "Should we take his limb?" He asked while Dwight could see some teeth were missing.

Negan eyed the Savior and gave a subtle nod but then held his lower abdomen in distress. He bent over and started tripping over his feet as Dwight saw how close that made Negan be to him. Dwight took the opportunity and kicked Negan squarely on the gut where Sherry stabbed him. Negan let out a howl but then stepped over to the side to puke several feet away from Dwight then leaned on Lucille for support.

Just as the man was about to take his knife to Dwight's arm and start slicing, someone came from behind the Savior while slitting his throat. Blood squirted downwards on top of Dwight's lower arm as the man stumbled to the ground while choking on his own blood. Dwight stared up at the person who came to his assistance as other men started fighting off the Saviors. However, Dwight scrunched his eyebrows together at the sight. It was Savior's fighting other Savior's. The man that slit the toothless brown-noser was Miguel.

"Need help?" Miguel asked as he leaned down and grabbed the hilt of the knife that was still lodged in Dwight's arm. "I'll count to three." Miguel said while Dwight nodded his approval. "One, two…" Miguel said and yanked the knife away at two. Dwight could hear the knife crunch and squish as it made its way past dirt and muscle. Dwight groaned but then quickly stood up as he took advantage of being free. But then he looked around and saw no sight of Negan.

"Where is he?" Dwight asked frantically as Miguel found another Savior to attack.

"He disappeared as soon as I got rid of old Norman." Miguel explained as Dwight started searching the area. "But hey, man, we're sick of being on Negan's side. Whatever the communities decide is good for us."

"How many are with you?" Dwight asked.

"Almost forty. I've been talking to some men for the last couple of days!" Miguel said while stabbing a Savior multiple times with quick precision. "We were still outnumbered to do shit though."

"Good, keep doing what you're doing." Dwight encouraged and then finally spotted where Negan was. The man stalked over to Rick and was fighting him alone. Then Dwight saw Sherry headed their way as she looked white as a bed sheet and held her side as blood soaked through her hand. With purpose, she walked towards Negan and a bullet wasn't going to stop her accomplishing what she had in mind.

 **AUTHOR'S NOTES, TRIVIA, & FACTS – **

**#1 – So a guest reviewer asked if I am going to continue with some storylines from the Walking Dead comic books (New Beginnings & Whisperers arcs, of course) and the answer is a most definitely yes! I have plans for that being in the future with my twist of particular storylines. Because…FanFiction (wink).**

 **#2 – "The sacrifice of one is for the benefit of many." This sentence can be interpreted in many ways but I did mean for it to throw off the reader slightly. However, Sherry meant it as "the sacrifice" being Negan. I think she had the full intention to kill Negan in that RV only so "the many" could benefit from his absence. In the RV, when Sherry suggested as a last minute idea to persuade Negan even further that she belong to him once more, he asked her if she meant it. She said she would do it if there was no other option. Yet she took that other option. For Sherry, "the sacrifice" was either Negan or herself. She chose to keep herself on that last of the ones who receive benefits. And why not? Like everyone else, she deserves a better life without him involved. If anyone deserves to be a "sacrifice," it's the one who caused the endangerment of everyone surrounding him.**

 **#3 – Irrational Negan. As much as he also cares for Sherry, his anger sometimes gets in the way of that. From reading the comic books, I don't know if Negan is capable of being completely stable. So as intense as it is that he would shoot Sherry, in his mind she betrayed him and brought him down along with the rest of his enemies. Salt on a wound. Of course, we know Sherry to be in the right and justified in her actions but Negan doesn't see it that way. Because he's incapable of seeing things the way Rick sees them.**

 **#4 – "No guarantees" from the previous chapter when talking to Rick was because she knew that she was willingly putting herself in danger by confronting Negan. When Rick said to do something drastic, that's when the seed was planted about stabbing Negan. Whether she knew if she was strong enough to fight Negan, she didn't know what kind of condition that he would be in. He could have killed her. And as we see, he shot her at the end of the chapter. No guarantees. No exceptions.**

 **#5 – Various lines from the flashbacks that she had with things Dwight said come from certain chapters. The first line is from Many Hearts to Tread in Chapter 1, the second line is from Nothing Else Matters in Chapter 12, the third line is from Nothing Else Matters in Chapter 16, the fourth from Vessel Chapter 13, and finally the fifth from Cruel World Chapter 2.**

 **#6 – If you had to vote for Negan or the Governor to be your leader, who would you choose? Just a random question that was nothing to do with our recent presidential election. Wink!**

 **#7 – A Thank YOU for those who review! It warms my heart and definitely helps keep the writing juices flowing! Morale is the best medicine when in a writer's block! I think I will do a Q &A in the author's notes at the end of Chapter 16. So if you have ANY questions for me or for the books, ask away! Some questions I will not be able to answer (if there are spoilers connected to it) but I would love to answer any questions that people have been thinking of asking. PM me or ask in the reviews!**


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

 _Six Hours Earlier_

Sasha and her group drove in reticence away from Sanctuary as they took the long way to the Hilltop Colony. The truck was completely full of people as some squatted on the floor instead of seats. Sasha remained carrying the oldest girl named Lorraine as they sat in the darkness while watching everything pass them by. There were cries of deliverance that they had been released from Sanctuary. Sasha didn't know if they were ever going to get that lucky during her stay. If Sasha were to be candid with anyone, she would tell them that she had prepared to die within those walls when she took Rick's place as the driver that demolished the Savior's front gates. Yet, they were all free.

Carson drove the car with Eugene sitting in the front seat beside him. The night seemed peaceful except for the various walkers that they would spot from time to time. Sasha looked up to the sky and could see the countless stars above them. One thing that she preferred over the world before was nighttime where all the constellations radiated against the black sky. A small whimper from the girl that she was holding broke her from her concentration as she looked down to soothe her.

"She's just hungry," her mom said in a whisper. "We haven't eaten much in the last several weeks. We've been rationing everything that we have to nothing."

"I'm sorry," Sasha answered as Lorraine's small cries went silent as she fell back asleep and rested her head upon Sasha's chest. "Where we are going will have food for everyone. It's not like Sanctuary. We look after each other."

"I hope so." The woman said as she looked down to her younger child. "My name is Valerie, by the way."

"Sasha," she replied as they both fell into silence once more.

"I can't see anything." Carson muttered as he drove along.

"Just let me drive then." Eugene offered to him. Sasha didn't blame Carson as he insisted it was far more dangerous to drive _with_ the headlights on. However, driving with no sight proved to be an even greater ordeal. Already they almost collided with a tipped over truck that was in the middle of the road. Several walkers were run over and hit their windshield which made both the younger girls start crying whenever it happened. Sasha was just going to be glad when they finally reached Hilltop.

"Actually," Eugene began and then pointed ahead of them. "Is that a building up there?" He stopped and tried to look further as he leaned against the already stained glass. "I think we're here."

"You were leading me to Hilltop…weren't you?" Carson inquired warily as he looked to Eugene.

Eugene didn't respond as he sat still while not even acknowledging what Carson asked.

"Eugene," Sasha said cautiously as she looked to everyone else in the car who all looked to him while slightly flabbergasted.

"Just flash your lights for a couple of seconds." Eugene requested as he finally glanced over to Carson.

"Where are we, Eugene?" Mark asked angrily behind Sasha.

"The last I heard was that our team was running on mediocre levels of ammunition," Eugene started as he turned around to face everyone else in the van. "Same with Negan's group of ignoramus'. I think it beneficial that we have a couple of hours to work before we face the music. Already we know that most of Negan's men are outside of Hilltop waiting for their onslaught of attack if they haven't done it already. What are they fighting with, you might ask? Absolutely nothing. We get a chance for our people to have a one-up in this fight, we need to take it."

"We don't know if it's too late, Eugene," Sasha countered. "They could be dying and need our help."

"We're useless to them without the proper weapons." Eugene fought back. "Ten people, two children, and no weapons going up against Negan's men that are still in the hundreds. I wasn't a math teacher in statistics but I can already tell you that our odds aren't doing too hot with those numbers. Flash the lights for a second, Carson."

"No. No way," Carson said while shaking his head. "There could be a swarm of walkers and we would have no idea."

"You helped us survive in Sanctuary, Carson," Eugene started as he looked to him. "For the rest of my life, I will be indebted to you for helping us in our time of need. But you need to trust me now. Please turn on the lights."

Carson huffed in reply. "Fine." He said and then turned on the lights. In the moment that the lights turned on, Sasha could see at least twenty walkers roaming in the middle of the road while Carson and Eugene's shoulders both slumped in unison. "Okay, we're out of here and heading to Hilltop!" Carson exclaimed.

"The lights!" Eugene nearly shouted. "Turn off the lights!"

Carson screeched backwards as they ran into another walker as its face collided with the window. Lorraine and Lydia started to cry again as Sasha and Valerie held them tightly to calm them down. "I need the lights to see! I have to get away!" Carson argued.

"Didn't you see?" Eugene said while reaching over Carson for the light switch himself. "There was a man on the roof!" He turned the lights off but it was too late and they were being swarmed. Walkers started to bang on all sides of the van as the noise became almost blaring. Sasha looked every which way and couldn't see anything on the outside of their vehicle that wasn't completely covered by walkers.

"Okay, listen up!" Eugene shouted to everyone in the car. "I can get us out of this." He looked to Mark and Carson then back to everyone in the car. " _All of us!_ But you're going to have to do exactly what I say."

…

 _Present Time_

Sherry felt cold. She could hear her heart beat and her breathing more than she could hear the turbulence going on around her. With every step that she took towards Negan, she could feel her energy fall to the wayside. She wanted to go on; she forced herself to keep moving. She watched Negan as his eyes were fixated on Rick who was still ordering people to calm down within the mess. Sherry fought to finish everything. She had felt the responsibility to end the day with Negan dead. However, with her body already pushing herself _before_ she got shot, Sherry felt all but spent.

A Savior attempted to bash her against the head with the back of his gun as she saw Aaron come swiftly to her rescue and take the man head on with Mati beside him. Sherry stumbled to the side and fell to the ground as she watched the commotion play out above her while everyone nearly tackled each other for power over each group.

"Sherry, we have to get you out of here," she heard Kevin urge while he knelt beside her. "You can't even stand. Just relax."

Sherry craned her head to the side and saw that Negan finally made contact with Rick. With Lucille in hand, he tried to swing at Rick as he quickly moved out of the way. Negan clutched his side to hold his wound firmly as he winced from the immeasurable amount of misery. Rick took the opportunity to jump on Negan as he brought him to the ground and laid the first punch on him.

It seemed like the more that someone fought with Negan, the more he fought like a raging bull. Negan released his hold on Lucille and put both hands on Rick while trying to force him away. He managed to grab Rick by the shoulders and nearly throw him to the side as he tried to land on his two feet once more. Rick was quick to be back on top of Negan and laid another punch and then another. Negan then kicked his foot underneath Rick's legs as Rick toppled to the ground. While Rick had the wind knocked out of him, Negan straightened up as he grabbed Rick's foot and knee with both hands. Sherry could see Negan say something very animated to Rick as he started applying pressure against Rick's foot and pushing it towards Rick. Suddenly, he snapped Rick's tibia and fibula in two as he put his full weight on top of it while Sherry saw Rick's lower leg bend in a way that it shouldn't have. Rick yelled out loud from the immediate suffering that he felt as Negan smirked at the sight.

Sherry tried to move towards Negan as she knew she had to help him. Soon Kevin was distracted with something else at the same time that she wanted to beg someone to try and rescue Rick. Feeling like the end was drawing to a close, she tried crawling towards them regardless of her body screaming at her to sleep and to no longer move. She felt motivated by all the years that were robbed of her. Even if it was an apocalypse, she still felt her life would have been better had she lived outside of Sanctuary and away from Negan. She would have found a better way. She wanted to live and see those days ahead of her still. Granted if she died on the battlefield, she still wanted others to reap the benefits.

Negan stepped off to the side and retrieved a hatchet that belonged to Rick and came towards him once more. Sherry tried to make it to him sooner. She could hear herself calling for Rick's name before she even registered that she did so. If Rick died, it could have meant the very end.

"RICK!" Sherry screamed in agony. She even reached for him in her state of near haziness as she felt herself become light and her eyelids heavy. When optimism seemed like it was going to be burnt at the stake, a figure came into the mix and fought Negan away from Rick. Sherry tried to focus and who it was but her eyes started seeing black spots as her head started to ache. _Sleep,_ Sherry thought as the idea seemed pleasant. She brought her head down as it rested on the grass beneath her. _Sleep._

…

Dwight watched as Negan split Rick's bone in two and then soon reached for the hatchet that was several feet away. He fought many Saviors on the way there but finally made it to them before Negan could send the axe crashing downwards on Alexandria's leader. He pushed Negan so Rick would be out of harm's way and punched him with his left hand. Negan growled at being foiled once more and practically yelled in Dwight's face in complete fury. Dwight stood in front of Rick with an indication that he wouldn't let Negan harm him anymore. Dwight was expendable; Rick was needed. Negan spat out blood from the multiple hits that he had received from the last several minutes from both Rick and Dwight combined.

Negan made an attempt to throw the axe at Dwight as Dwight just leaned over to the side. It was in that brief moment of distraction that Negan pounced on Dwight while Dwight tried to carry Negan's weight before he landed on Rick who was currently incapacitated from the terrible leg pain that he had just received. Dwight instead braced for Negan and pushed him downwards as he tried to attack him with multiple hits at once. A punch to the face again, an elbow to the neck, a head butt to the forehead, and then a knee to his chest.

Negan was moving slower with his abdomen injury as Dwight wanted it to be over with once and for all. Dwight's will was much stronger than Negan's even though it didn't stop Negan from putting up a struggle. Negan flailed back and forth to get Dwight off of him and even landed a couple of punches to Dwight's face while doing so. Yet Dwight was resilient. Negan _had_ to go.

It was in that moment where Negan took a second to pause and take a breather while not necessarily thinking on survival alone. Adrenaline could only take you so far but once injuries started to take precedence in the mind, it meant game over for most. Negan pushed Dwight off of him and got on his hands and knees as he doubled over in serious pain. Dwight didn't wait for him to finish and wrapped his arm around Negan's neck to choke him out. Negan quickly tried to grab at Dwight's arm or his face to claw his way out of it but his strength was nearly gone. Negan's whole body tensed with the sudden asphyxiation that he felt but Dwight braced for it before it happened as he slammed Negan to the ground once more. Negan started gagging out loud as Dwight continued his grasp on him.

Suddenly, they heard noises of gunshots being rampant behind the Savior's forces. Dwight looked up slightly to see Saviors put up their hands in surrender. Many of the community members ran towards the scene where the shots were being heard as Dwight got a quick view of Sasha and Eugene standing on top of a van while shooting weapons at various Saviors who were causing imminent danger to their people. More gunshots were being heard as their group was being loaded with ammunition whereas the Saviors had nothing to fight with. One by one, Dwight watched as more men started putting their hands up in defeat. They had done it. They had finally done it. Dwight could feel the victory burn within him.

The sound of guns being shot at the Saviors made Negan mentally exhausted. Dwight could see it in his eyes and knew that he had lost. Soon Negan let his wound from Sherry take over him as his eyes started to roll back. Dwight didn't take any chances. He rested his elbow on top of Negan's throat even more to further along the process as Negan's eyes came to a close. After several seconds, Dwight slightly loosened his hold on Negan to see if the man had been bluffing but Negan didn't make a move.

Dwight felt himself shaking as he looked to Negan's near lifeless body. The other Saviors that had stopped fighting and had their hands up in surrender didn't know what else to do but just stare at their fallen leader. The same leader that had forced loyalty with each of his men. He was finally out of power. It was like a wave of relief hit everyone as they stood in awe at the scene. Negan had finally fallen. It was over. Sweat dripped down Dwight's nose as he looked at what laid right at his feet. There he saw Lucille out of Negan's grasp. Dwight understood that the bat had almost become a symbol of power to some of the Saviors. Whoever had Lucille could command thousands. Dwight nearly bent down to grab it but hesitated as all eyes looked to him. He didn't want to control anyone. But he wondered if he even had a choice as the glances towards him varied between fear and hope.

Some men continued to fight in the name of Negan. Dwight could see that they were being quickly disposed of from various community member's but not as soon as he wanted them to be taken care of. Then out of the corner of his eye, he saw Sherry struggling to get up from the ground in obvious pain as she spotted a Savior that started to barrel his way towards her. Fury took over him as Dwight knew that he was the person that was going to have the final say. He bent down and grabbed the closest weapon, Lucille, and started stalking towards the man who had already grabbed her by the hair and kicked her in the side where she had been nicked by the bullet. She grunted in agony as her eyes started to grow heavy from sheer exhaustion.

It took Dwight all of five steps to get where they were. Once he got there, he gripped Lucille by two hands and brought it behind him. The sound of Lucille's whizzing by with how hard he swung was almost unnerving but he only had time to save Sherry. He didn't care what weapon he used; he would only see to it that she was safe. The bat hit the Savior in the jaw as he reeled backwards instantly unconscious or dead. Sherry fell with him to the ground but then attempted to back away as she looked to Dwight and then to Lucille in his hands. The fighting had ceased altogether as everyone looked to face him. Some Savior's stared at Dwight with amazement as he—in a sense—took up the mantel as the rightful leader of Sanctuary. After all, he shed blood with an emblem that sent shivers down everyone's spine.

"Dwight?" He heard Rick call behind him.

Everyone else just looked at Dwight. No one engaged in fighting. All Hilltop members, Alexandrians, King's men, and Saviors alike watched him and waited for what he had to say. Dwight looked to Sherry who gazed back at him. She looked as if she were losing strength but still nodded to him while Dwight knew he had her full support in whatever he had addressed to the crowd. He didn't even know what to say to everyone that watched as they waited for him to say something; anything.

Dwight had been Negan's second in command for a long time. The load that came off his shoulders was only being replaced by another. He knew he was responsible for a group of people from that point onward. But in that moment of great overwhelming, he knew he would be a better leader that could help with Rick's vision.

"WE'RE DONE!" Dwight yelled and pointed Lucille towards Negan. "IT'S OVER! You will follow me now! All Saviors need to stand down!"

The Saviors all looked to each other as the other communities kept their knives or various guns aimed at them. They knew they were cornered and had to surrender. One by one, each Savior threw their weapons to the ground. Miguel nodded to his group of men that followed him as they hurriedly fulfilled his request. Other Saviors were reluctant to do so. Dwight could see Sherry look in astonishment at the sight of the Saviors giving up as tears silently fell down her face.

"No more fighting each other. We will only fight _together_." Dwight turned to see Rick who looked just as relieved as everyone else that all the contention was ending. "I stand with Rick. _We will ALL_ stand with Rick."

He took a moment of silence to really let that fact sink in with some members of Sanctuary. This was a new change and development that wasn't going to be swallowed easily. But Dwight knew one thing. Without Negan, they felt powerless and at this time of vulnerability, he could tell them anything that they wanted to hear.

"You are all to go back to Sanctuary. Take a couple of days to just enjoy your families again. You don't have to worry about dying for someone who didn't give a shit about you. We can rebuild and be a part of something that we thought was gone. That's what Negan stood in the way of. We could have it all again. Just go back home and think about that for a couple of days. Rest. Enjoy your lives. Then we will all go to work and start restoring order to keep us enjoying the time we have. As a leader, that's what I want for you. This isn't a game for me and I'm not lying to you. That's truly what I want. Take it or leave it." He said with conviction.

Men started looking towards each other with defeated eyes or sighs. Dwight could see their relief become evident as they knew this was the right course of action and they were finally free of any ultimatums that Negan had given them. Dwight watched as Saviors started walking to their trucks and turning on the engines while they headed back to Sanctuary as Dwight asked them to.

And just like that, they were all gone; minus the brutally wounded and some of Miguel's group. As the last truck was seen driving away in the distance, Dwight then saw Tara start laughing for joy as she hugged Daryl who stood beside her. Others did the same thing while some started to cry that Negan's tyranny was finally over. It was finished. Dwight just stood there holding Lucille in complete shock. For years, he had dreamed of that day yet once it actually came, it took a while for the feeling to sink in. Negan didn't control him. He didn't control Sherry. Everything that Takuya fought for… everything that Jason fought for… it finally paid off.

There was only one person that Dwight wanted to celebrate with. He turned to look at Sherry and saw that she had a small smile on her face. Her skin looked porcelain white as her body appeared just as fragile. He saw the blood from her wound had seeped all the way down to the bottom of her shirt as she started to close her eyes. More tears fell from her eyes as Dwight could visually see a sense of calmness surround her. It was almost too calm for his taste. Worry started to grip him even more as Sherry slumped down to the ground while allowing her wound to take over. He instantly dropped Lucille and ran to her aide.

…

Sherry slowly sank to the grass beneath her while she felt completely relaxed and more peaceful than she had in years. Even though she felt like the air was frigid around her and that her wound was growing ever more painful, she was beginning to feel numb to it all. She could only feel the contentment of what had just transpired. No longer did she have to worry about Negan being around the corner. He was finally gone and she could live her life the way that she wanted to.

"Sher?" She heard Dwight say. Her eyes opened while trying to focus with the sunlight shining down on her face. She saw Dwight over her and then felt his warm hand on her cheek while trying to examine the damage of her well-being.

"I was just thinking about you," Sherry whispered as she could feel a smile creep on her face.

Dwight looked at her slightly relieved that she responded back to him. "Hold on, Sherry. We'll get you the help that you need." He said while stroking his thumb over her temple.

"I'm not worried. I feel fine," Sherry said lightheartedly.

"You don't look fine, Sherry." Dwight argued flatly.

Sherry made a face at his reply and rolled her eyes. "You're a charmer," She said with heavy sarcasm. In all honesty, she felt like she could take on the world. Nothing hurt her in that moment. It was like she was on cloud nine. She could admit that she also felt very lightheaded and like she was going to pass out, but she didn't let that get in the way of the large victory that she felt.

Dwight sighed and looked her in the eyes. "Fine. Even when you are the palest that I have ever seen you, you are still the most beautiful woman I know." He said with a small smile. "That being said, you look like shit and need a doctor."

"Okay." Sherry said feeling too weak to argue with him anymore on the subject. Her eyes felt heavy as worry started to become apparent on Dwight's face again.

"Sherry?" He asked as he put a hand behind her head to hold her up. "Stay with me. You can't leave me alone. I need you."

"We should just lay down right here for the rest of the day." Sherry suggested but could feel herself being lifted off the ground. She opened her eyes wide and saw that Dwight was carrying her as he walked towards the mansion. "Or not. Laying down somewhere else is cool too."

"You have definitely lost a lot of blood," Dwight replied as he kept his eyes on the mansion. Sherry hummed in response but Dwight wasn't satisfied with her answer. "Keep talking, Sher. I need you to stay awake."

"I like it when you call me Sher." She mumbled as she started slipping out of consciousness. The last thing that she heard was Dwight repeating her name frantically. Then there was silence.

…

"Sherry? Sherry?" Dwight kept on repeating as he walked into the elaborate brick house in the middle of Hilltop. "Doctor Carson?!" Dwight yelled as he looked for a place to put as the entire house became a makeshift hospital and a shelter for everyone. It was completely crowded and utterly disorganized.

Harlan Carson came into view as he walked in the front room. "What happened to her?" He asked in a panic.

"She got nicked by a bullet. Negan shot her." Dwight said.

Harlan came closer and saw immediately where the injury was. He looked to Dwight in question. "Is it okay if I lift her shirt up to see it?" He asked.

Dwight nodded as Harlan did so. He appeared shocked and looked to Dwight with horror. "That is more than just a nick." He said and walked upstairs motioning for Dwight to follow. Dwight followed still carrying Sherry in his arms as they walked up the stairs.

"Will she be okay?" Dwight asked worriedly.

"I don't know," Harlan said as he brought them into a room that was still empty regardless of the rest of the place being a madhouse. "This looks more like a Doctor Edwards kind of wound but he is already busy with so many patients. I'll have to do what I can."

Harlan motioned for Dwight to rest Sherry on the one bed in the room as Dwight did so. Harlan then looked to him as he set up his instruments that he would need to start the emergency procedure. "Can you please take her shirt off for me?" He asked quickly and then went back to his work. "We'll give her a hospital gown once she is bandaged up but for now I need to see that wound."

Dwight hesitated and looked to Sherry with remorse but did as he was told. "I'm sorry, Sher," He said and tried to carefully take her shirt off with equal haste.

"Already from the color of her skin, I can tell she has lost a lot of blood. With the amount of blood that she has already lost and is still losing, we need a blood transfusion. We need a donor. If we don't get that, then I can't make any promises of her surviving. Even then, I can't be sure." Harlan asked. "Terri?!" He yelled loudly so it could be heard throughout the entire house.

Dwight placed her down carefully and turned to see Terri enter the room. "Oh my God. What happened?" She said in a panic.

"She got shot." Harlan said in a remarkably calm voice as he tried to focus. "Terri, you have collected everyone's blood type in Alexandria."

She nodded. "Sherry is AB negative." Terri said as Dwight groaned inwardly. He was B positive and knew he wouldn't be a match for her.

"Is there anyone from Alexandria that can give her blood that isn't busy with a wounded family member or close friend?" Harlan asked.

Terri thought to herself as she knew she memorized everyone's blood type for a reason and that was for those moments. She thought of everyone that was downstairs and then a look of dread appeared on her face. Dwight looked at her and feared no one had a match.

"Barbara is a universal blood donor but she already gave so much blood to Heath a couple of days ago that I don't want to chance her not having enough for herself. There's one other person that I know of that would be able to help." She said but still looked to Dwight warily. He looked at her curiously as the look still didn't leave her face.

…

Dwight spotted Eugene in the house as he slowly made his way over to him. He was assisting with some people as he helped give them fresh water to drink. Out of the corner of Eugene's eye, he saw Dwight watch him and started to walk away with annoyance.

"Eugene." Dwight started. "I need your help."

"I cannot guarantee that I will be of any service to you. I will be honest in saying that any assistance given towards you will be hindered by my severe dislike in regards to your character." Eugene as he kept on walking in the hallways pretending to be preoccupied with other things.

Dwight grabbed him by the shoulder and forced Eugene to face him. "I understand that you hate me. I get it. But I'm not asking you to change your mind about me either." He said in as calm of a voice as possible but knew time was running out. "Sherry needs a blood transfusion and you are the only blood type that matches hers and that isn't busy with other things. If you don't do it for me, do it for someone who deserves to live another day. I know she, of all people, deserves it."

Eugene looked to him and sighed as he knew what he had to do. "It would be kind of a misuse of myself if I were to be anywhere else, I guess." He said.

"Please, Eugene." Dwight said not afraid to beg if it came to it. "I regret killing your friend every day of my life. Please just do this for her."

 **AUTHOR'S NOTES, TRIVIA, & FACTS**

 **#1 – That tipped over truck in the middle of the road that Carson almost ran into? Yeah, that was the same truck Carol and Sherry were in when ambushed by the Savior's in chapter 11…or was it 12? Hell, I don't know. They are all starting to mesh after I have completed them.**


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16 – The Final Chapter of Cruel World

Eugene sat beside Sherry's bed inside the Hilltop mansion as his blood transferred to her vein. Dwight sat on the other side unwilling to leave while she remained unconscious. His foot kept patting the floor with anxiety as he expected that he would continue to do so until she woke up for the first time. Dwight leaned forward in his chair and stared at the opposite wall then would peer towards Sherry every few seconds to see if anything had changed.

After Rick was seen by Doctor Edwards, he was already on his feet with a crutch under his armpit as he came to see how Sherry was doing. Rick told him that he had a similar injury to Sherry's that put him in a coma for months during the very beginning of the apocalypse. Dwight didn't know if they _had_ months where she could be on life support for that long. They had great doctors for almost each community. However, Dwight knew that caring for someone in a coma for months on end was a tall order. He of all people wasn't in a position to ask for such a favor. He had taken responsibility of Sanctuary and removed Negan from power yet he also had many sins to atone for.

For once, Eugene stayed silent. He didn't look like he enjoyed being in the same room as Dwight but looked content to rest after the end of their tiresome battle. Dwight would periodically feel Eugene glare at him from the corner of his eye but the second that Dwight turned to face him head on, Eugene would look away in annoyance.

"You need something?" Dwight asked after the fifth time that it happened.

"I am not doing this as a personal favor to you," Eugene started in his usual flat tone as he gestured to the tube that connected him and Sherry. "My allegiance is for her benefit and health. Nothing more."

"Well, I'm thankful all the same." Dwight muttered a response but tried to make it sound sincere. He felt bad for Eugene but thought his hatred for him was spread out too far. Perhaps Dwight still had more distance to travel on the road to redemption.

"What you did back in Sanctuary," Eugene spoke up again. "I think you saved our lives. Even I can commend something of that stature. I don't like you but I can respect you."

Dwight looked to Eugene in surprise but then nodded his head. "Likewise," Dwight responded quietly as they went back to the regular silence.

They would hear the hustle and bustle in the hallways or various shouts of laughter outside. All of Hilltop seemed to be buzzing with activity. A lot of people from both sides sought help with minor injuries but there was an air of calmness about everyone. They all felt a sense of contentment. Dwight couldn't even think of a moment in his life where he had felt so fulfilled. He had done a lot of things in his past that were wrong but he was glad to know that the next day wouldn't be another list of deaths because of him. He still had one more death that he wanted to take care of but he wanted to wait until Sherry woke up to fall through with it.

Dwight became lost in his thoughts as he fidgeted in his seat with impatience. Having a world without Negan wouldn't have been worth it if Sherry wasn't around to see it. He looked to Sherry again with worry as his bit the inside of his cheek. He grabbed for her hand and felt saddened that she didn't squeeze his hand back in return. Not even a muscle twitch.

Doctor Harlan Carson came into the room with a smile on his face as he tried to appear present for the many patients that he had. Doctor Edwards did the same as they both combined their efforts for maximum comfort of each person whose life was in peril. Harlan scanned the room from Eugene to Sherry then to Dwight then frowned immediately upon seeing him. "You should really go clean yourself up, Dwight. Everyone is settling down and there is no need to still wear clothes with blood all over them." Harlan reasoned.

Dwight looked down at himself and could see the blood stains from carrying Sherry into the house. But then as if his body remembered that he should be in pain, his upper inside arm started to sting immensely. "Ugh!" Dwight exclaimed as he looked to his left arm jacket that was soaking wet with blood.

Harlan was instantly by his side as he helped him slowly take his jacket off. "What was the wound from?" He asked.

"Negan stabbed me," Dwight recalled while thinking about the knife striking down on both sides and then sinking into the earth beneath it. He only had a long sleeve shirt underneath his jacket so he proceeded to take it off so Harlan could treat his wound. Every move would aggravate his arm but he tried not to think of himself only to keep his mind off the pain. "How is she doing?" Dwight inquired as he gazed towards Sherry.

Harlan handed Dwight a wet wash cloth so the wound wouldn't bleed so openly anymore. He then checked Sherry's pulse with his free hand as they all stayed quiet while the doctor assessed her. Harlan then nodded with certainty then looked to Dwight hopefully. "Her heart rate is stabilizing some but not where I want her to be just yet." He answered then looked to Eugene. "We'll need you for a little while longer if you are okay with that."

"I most certainly am," Eugene replied with pride as Dwight truly was grateful for his help.

"Did Negan's knife have walker blood on it?" Doctor Carson asked warily.

Dwight shook his head. "Not that I saw," he stated while Harlan propped Dwight's arm up on his shoulder while examining it very carefully. Dwight could easily see where the knife entered and exited. The loose skin slightly flapped while blood dropped down to his lap whenever Harlan moved his arm and the sight made Dwight feel somewhat queasy. His arm should not have been doing that.

"A lot of nerves are exposed and we don't know how clean that knife was…" Harlan muttered to himself but then addressed Dwight. "You need to be vigilant for any infections, Dwight. Please let me know if you get a fever in the near future. Even if there wasn't walker blood, there looks to be a lot of dirt in there. I can try and clean it to the best of my ability but that still doesn't mean that you won't get an infection later. Bandages will need to be checked and changed often. There will be many stitches for both sides."

"Do what you got to do," Dwight said with no need to argue. "Eventually, I will come up with a proper way to trade for your services that you have done today."

Harlan waved him off. "My brother is alive because of you. That's payment enough, Dwight." He said with a smile. "Thank you for bringing him home."

Dwight nodded as he tried to concentrate on something other than Harlan poking at his wound that made his stomach churn with every touch. Harlan saw Dwight's composure and put his arm on Sherry's bed. "You can hold your wife's hand while I do this if you want," Harlan suggested.

Dwight almost corrected him but instead held back from doing so. He smiled at the comment and reached for Sherry's hand tenderly. The title didn't sound that bad to him at all.

Terri walked into the room as she looked to Dwight with alarm. "What happened to you and why didn't you get that checked earlier?!" She asked in distress while staring at his upper arm.

He nodded as Harlan prepped to stitch his arm up. "Just a couple of stitches…" Dwight said in between gritted teeth when Harlan tried to scrub away more blood and sterilize it to the best of his ability.

Terri smiled warmly then held up a pen and paper in hand. "I have been collecting information from everyone while they have been under the same roof. Things that we need to know in case of an emergency. That's how we know Eugene was a good blood donor for Sherry. I want to stay on top of things. Can I have some information about you while I'm here?" She questioned.

Dwight almost shrugged but thought better of it before he moved his arm. Instead he nodded his consent as Harlan continued to prep. Dwight's arm was starting to throb and wanted the stitching to be finished so the open air wouldn't pierce the open flesh any longer.

"Great!" Terri exclaimed as she sat at the foot of Sherry's bed to get comfortable. "What's your full name?"

Dwight didn't expect the interview of questions to be difficult from the get-go but he already felt uncomfortable answering with Eugene in the room.

"Dwight Orlich." He answered cautiously.

Terri eyed him questioningly. "Do you have a middle name?" She inquired.

Dwight looked to Eugene once more and then back to Terri. "Yes..." He finally said.

"Well, what is it?" Terri asked while sounding nearly irritable. "It can't be that bad."

Eugene looked at Dwight with curiosity as Dwight reached towards the pen and paper that Terri was holding. "Can I write it down?" He asked.

Terri grinned with amusement and obliged to his request as she handed him the pen and paper.

He grabbed it and placed them on top of Sherry's bed. He tried to cover his writing as much as he could with his one free arm so Eugene couldn't see. As Dwight held the paper out to give to Terri, Eugene sat up and arched to see what it said. Dwight scrunched his face in protest but saw that the damage had already been done. Once Eugene saw it, he looked to Dwight with resentment. "You've got to be kidding me." He gawked.

Dwight held his lips in a tight line as he tried to ignore Eugene. Terri looked at the paper and saw what Dwight had wrote. _Dwight Abraham Orlich._

"Um," She said as she tried to focus on the rest of her questions. "Birthday?"

"September 29, 1983." Dwight replied.

"Blood type?" Terri quizzed.

"B positive." Dwight responded.

"Any diseases or sicknesses that you are aware of?" Terri asked.

"No." Dwight said.

"Allergies? And any kind of reactions to that?" Terri inquired.

"No allergies." Dwight responded.

"Alright." Terri said and stopped writing to look up to him. "That is all I really need to know right now." Then she looked to Dwight with more concern. "How are you holding up?"

Dwight smiled and gestured towards Sherry. "I'll feel better when she wakes up." He answered.

"What a new world this will be for her when she opens her eyes." Terri noted sweetly with a smile as she looked to Sherry's unconscious form. With that, she left and closed the door behind her.

…

"Miss…" Ashlyn heard behind her as she saw Carson walking towards her in the front entrance of the mansion. It was the first time that she had ever spoken to him personally but remembered him speaking to Sherry or Negan on occasion. It was going to take getting used to that some men were able to have a conversation with her again. She no longer felt restricted with what Negan had decreed her to do.

"My name is Ashlyn," she corrected as he walked up to her with an awkward smile. She knew she wasn't the only one that thought the exchange somewhat odd since only a few days ago was it severely prohibited. "Do you need some help? They asked me to try and organize who goes where according to how serious the injuries are. Critical goes upstairs while minor stays on this level."

Carson smiled but made no effort to move. "Um, I actually hoped that you would lead me to Sherry." He answered. "I have something that I was supposed to deliver to her."

Ashlyn was curious as to what it was but then pointed up the stairs. "She's the second door on the left. I don't think that she's awake yet from when she passed out." She responded but then turned to see that Carson didn't move once more and just looked to her with amazement.

"It's all over," Carson said and smirked slightly. Ashlyn could see the awkwardness in his countenance still ever present as he played with his glasses on his face. "Um, you going to go back to Sanctuary and helping clean that whole place up?"

Ashlyn had heard about Dwight taking over. Word had spread like wildfire about how Negan was overturned at long last. The next step was to make Sanctuary a permanent trade partner while it was under new management. However, she didn't know if she could go back to such a place. She already heard Megan express interest in staying at Hilltop where Takuya was buried. "I actually think I'm staying in Hilltop at least until this next winter is over." Ashlyn disclosed honestly.

"Because of the baby?" Carson inquired quietly. Ashlyn immediately furrowed her brows in question as Carson quickly put his hands up in apology. "My brother told me but I let him know that you would probably prefer the situation to be confidential."

Ashlyn thought about what he said then shook her head in defeat. "I guess it won't really matter who knows at this point or not. It's going to come out eventually." She said in a melancholy voice then looked to Carson. "But thanks for letting him know that anyways."

"Do you mind if I say something forward?" Carson asked as he folded his arms in front of him.

Ashlyn again gave him a questioning look but shrugged in response.

"The less people that know who the father is, the better," Carson said in a hushed tone as he gestured for Ashlyn to walk with him towards the fireplace. "We all know the situation that circled around you wives in Sanctuary. Not everyone does. I'm sure you would like to keep it that way, correct?"

Ashlyn hadn't thought that far in advance but nodded in agreement. She then wondered if Carson ever attempted to be a lawyer in a previous life. He would have been a good one with how he always went straight to the point on subjects and tried to find solutions. She didn't know him that well but enough to already gauge that much.

"I offer my name in any kind of alibi that you need," Carson said slowly while trying to let what he said sink in. "I just figured with Dwight and Mark…they found ways to spend time with their significant others in Sanctuary and were caught. We could say the same for us except no one was the wiser. I'm not trying to have any personal gain with you saying that I'm the dad. That's not my intention. But if you think your life would be easier by just saying that I am and that we both wanted some space after everything was said and done, I will take the blame as being the dead-beat in the situation."

Ashlyn tried to wrap her head around what he had just offered to her but found herself blinking tears back. Instead of her baby being known as Negan's child, Carson proposed to change the scenario so she wouldn't be the least bit shamed. "Why?" She breathed out. "Why would you do this for me?"

"You didn't ask for your life in Sanctuary," Carson began. "I saw what kind of living situation that he put you in. If I was to help in any way, I would feel like I did my part sufficiently. It's my payment back for working under a man like him. I got to give back to society somehow and I was a coward for too long. When my brother told me about it, I thought it wouldn't hurt to suggest my solution to you."

Ashlyn didn't know what to say. She knew it would make her life somewhat easier while no longer being tied to Negan in that sense. It wasn't a secret that she was one of Negan's wives and she knew her pregnancy would raise some eyebrows in her direction. Yet she didn't want to have people view Carson as a lousy partner and father in return. "I… have to think about this." Ashlyn said while still overwhelmed by the generosity. "Wouldn't people think badly of you for leaving me to raise 'our' child on my own?" She asked while she used her fingers to put _our_ in quotation.

Carson shrugged. "Don't worry about me. If people ask about our situation, we can answer honestly that it was an amicable decision to break off whatever brief relationship that we had in Sanctuary. Any more details beyond that are unnecessary." He reasoned then looked at Ashlyn with sincerity. "If you need time to think it over, take all the time that you need. My offer still stands whenever you need it. And I'll be staying in Hilltop permanently with my brother. If you ever need to talk or anything else, I won't be far. Just think about it. Negan doesn't deserve to destroy the rest of your life anymore."

Ashlyn was touched by his kindness and thoughtfulness in regards to her. She smiled at his sentiment and brought him into a light hug. "Thank you, Carson," she said then let him go. "I think I might need more time to consider the limited possibilities that I have but it's good to know that you have my back. I will take what you said to heart though. That's just a lot to take in right now."

"I know," Carson stated and looked to her with admiration. "Just know that I have already considered my side. I'm okay with lying to people to make your life easier. It's the least I can do."

They stared at each other for a small amount of time as Ashlyn tried to see what his true intentions were. She looked him in the eyes and could see a true sincerity there that she hadn't seen from too many in a long time. It was incredibly sweet of him to consider her future even before she let herself approach the topic herself. He wasn't asking for anything in return. She wondered if that was what real relationships were supposed to be like. If so, she knew Carson was going to one day make someone very happy. He didn't leave her side immediately once someone else had called her attention. She often looked to him and smiled in gratitude. In the brief time that she knew him, she already considered him to at least be a valuable friend.

…

Dwight ambled down the steps to the mansion's main floor and saw everyone walking around in no hurry. Things were finally reaching a lull as he took a small break from Sherry's side to see to something that had been eating him alive inside. With a new clean shirt that Aaron had loaned him, he had his crossbow in hand and continued on his personal errand.

When he reached the last stair, he turned to the room to his left where Negan was handcuffed to the table beneath him. He still looked completely out of it as Dwight walked inside the space and glanced behind him to see if anyone knew that he was there. No one had been around to really care about him stepping into Negan's temporary holding room as Dwight took the time to observe everything around him. It seemed odd to Dwight that Negan looked so powerless in that moment. After all the years of fighting and fear, Dwight could finally realize that Negan was only a man. He didn't have any special ability that made him better than the people around him. He was just as underwhelming as everyone else that was left in the world.

Then it dawned on Dwight that the room was eerily similar to a nightmare that he had revisited countless times. He viewed his surroundings and soon remembered that he was in the same room where Negan had ordered Dwight to kill someone for the first time. As Dwight firmly held his crossbow and stared at Negan, he thought it was almost poetic that his last kill would come full circle to the very beginning.

He took one of his bolts and started loading it with slight difficulty from his arm injury but did so successfully then held it tightly once more. Dwight stood there motionless as he watched Negan sleep. He had no right to live anymore with everything that he had done to the people around him. He was like a virus that spread hostility to those that he surrounded himself with. Dwight had felt that same hate while under Negan's command. In a way, he almost became Negan. He killed so many people for the name of the vile man. The more Dwight thought about it, the more he understood that Negan had to go. Dwight didn't want him to still be alive.

He looked to the various bandages on Negan's bare chest and could see that they had all been tended to. Negan didn't deserve any kind of special attention. Nor did he deserve to eat their food that they would collect or their blankets for warmth. Being alive was getting off too easy in Dwight's opinion. Yet he just stood there and waited.

On the brink of holding his crossbow up to take aim, Dwight heard the floor creak behind him as he took a deep breath of slight anger that he had been caught. "Dwight, we aren't going to kill anymore." Rick said as Dwight turned to look at him.

Dwight stared down at his crossbow and shook his head. "You'll regret that decision someday, Rick." He replied gravely. "Do you really think that you can keep him as a prisoner for the rest of his life?"

"We will try," Rick pondered out loud. "More importantly, we will try and show him that he was wrong about everything. He will see our communities become something that he never imagined could exist anymore. And we did it all without his protection or his help."

"And if he ever gets out?" Dwight cautioned.

"Then I give you permission to take care of it if that day ever comes," Rick responded darkly then looked to Dwight. "Just not yet."

Dwight pursed his lips and took a couple of steps away as he tried to let his dislike go for the time being. It hurt to know that Negan would probably outlive more people than he wanted to count. The decision to keep him alive wasn't something that Dwight could really stomach but knew he had to trust Rick's judgment. It wasn't his decision to make alone. That would have been Negan's way to take care of things. However, Dwight had to constantly remind himself that he wasn't Negan. He had to make a conscious effort to differentiate himself from what the man instilled in his brain. Above all, he refused to be like Negan in any way. Not anymore.

"You'll be there for us, right?" Rick asked for assurance as he looked to Dwight hopefully.

Dwight looked to Rick then nodded his head slowly. "I'm with you already." He answered then turned on his heel and left the room.

…

Sherry's eyes fluttered open as she looked around the empty room. No one was in there except her. She recognized the wood work around the doorway to be the mansion in Hilltop and then heard the sounds of laughter or sweet relief outside the open window. Already she could tell a difference in the air. It had been years since she felt a deep sense of contentment like she had in that moment. Not since their group found the big house in Georgia to occupy. No longer did Sherry have to worry about any upcoming battles in the future. It was peaceful at last.

She took the oxygen mask off of her face but the motion had already made her feel queasy. Knowing that her movements had to be small, she let herself settle as she fixated her eyes on everything around her. The bedroom was set up like Carol's where there were two various chairs in the room and doctor's instruments beside the opposite wall. She had an IV on the top of her hand and wore a hospital gown. She carefully brought her hand to her side and could already feel the bandage that was put over her gunshot had been partially dampened and would need to be changed again.

Sherry wondered what happened to everyone and who had been killed in their most recent fight. Worry overcame as she thought of the many people that could have been in peril while she just waited in the room. She vaguely remembered Dwight carrying her into the mansion and assuring her that everything was over. She wasn't sure it if was all a distant memory or just a hallucination.

Just then the door opened with a small knock. Carson poked his head in surprisingly as Sherry looked to him with a friendly smile. "Oh, you're awake!" He exclaimed as he walked inside the room. "They said that were still out of it."

"I just woke up actually," Sherry answered as she rested her head on the pillow behind her. "Although, I might fall back asleep soon. This day was kind of a whirlwind."

"I can imagine," Carson said but still stood there stiffly. They all knew Negan's rule was over but old rules still seemed present for poor Carson who fumbled with his hands upon being alone with Sherry. "They said you were shot?"

Sherry nodded in response as Carson laughed slightly and held his hand up where Sherry could see a decent sized scar that still looked slightly red as if it happened recently. "I've been shot once myself, ya know. Dwight shot me…on purpose I might add." Carson said but shook his head. "No hard feelings. I think I needed that rude awakening." Carson acknowledged and then reached into his pocket. Sherry gasped slightly at the items that he had in his hand as he put them on the bed beside her. "Dwight told me to deliver these to you. When he gave them to me, he didn't know if he was going to make it or not. He just wanted them to be taken care of if the worst case scenario happened."

Sherry picked up one letter and saw it was one that she wrote for him years ago. She looked up to Carson who nodded once as he walked out of the room to leave her alone. Sherry quickly scrolled through each letter and smiled upon seeing that he managed to keep all of them. He even put a number on each letter on the top right hand corner to keep them in chronological order. When she sorted through all of them, she saw that one letter didn't have a number. It was folded up like the rest of them were but on the top it had Dwight's handwriting on it.

 _For Sherry,_

Sherry's heart warmed at the sight of it as she carefully opened it. She smiled at Dwight's hurried handwriting but was quickly touched by the words that it said.

 _Dear Sher,_

 _I just wanted to say that I love you. Negan knows that I have been working for Rick this whole time and I don't think I will be alive for much longer. I can go on and on about what I wanted for our future together but I don't have much time to really elaborate. I want to write ten pages worth of how I feel about you. But a small letter will have to do. I'll sum it up as much as I can because I think you deserve to hear it._

 _Sherry, the botched up marriage that Negan put you through is something that I wouldn't have pictured for us. I don't know what people do to get married these days but if I ever had the opportunity to call you my wife, I would have done everything I could to do so. I would have stayed by your side for the rest of our days if you let me. I would have tried to make you happy every day. There was no one else for me. I just wanted you to know that._

 _You would have made me happy as well. Don't you worry about that._

 _Again, I love you and I wish that we had more time together._

 _Always yours, Dwight_

…

Dwight settled back into Sherry's room and sat beside her bed once more. He noticed that her oxygen mask had been removed from her face so he wondered if either Doctor Edwards or Harlan took it off upon seeing that she was fine without it. Regardless, he checked her vitals to see if she was alright anyways. She seemed to be doing fine which made Dwight relax somewhat as he leaned his head back on the recliner behind him. She was still asleep so he thought he could enjoy the downtime before she woke up… _if_ she woke up. Dwight tried not to think of that and tried to remember that not having the oxygen mask for support was a good sign. _Sherry's breathing on her own,_ he thought. _She'll be fine._

He sat there for almost thirty minutes while taking in the changes that he was already able to observe. He couldn't remember the last time that he looked out a window and could hear the birds chirp in the distance. He heard people cleaning up outside but the sounds weren't followed by noises of turmoil; he heard laughter. He could hear kids squeal with delight as they chased each other around or partook in other activities that occupied their time. Already the communities were feeling the weight of Negan's reign fade away into nothing. It was the dawn of a new era.

Dwight looked at his recliner out of boredom and saw that there was a handle to prop his legs up. He shrugged and thought it didn't sound like the worst idea to doze off while he waited for his miracle to happen. He pulled the lever as the recliner made a loud screeching noise and then saw Sherry's eyes open wide as she looked around the room in distress.

He looked at her as relief took over. Dwight was glad that she didn't have to endure a coma like Rick had to with the same injury. "It was just the recliner," Dwight said quietly as he still saw the alarm in her eyes. "I didn't mean to scare you."

Sherry looked to him with a smile and tried to sit up but then fell back down on her bed in a heap as she groaned from the action. "Not feeling so well?" Dwight joked lightly but was still worried for her.

"Not really." Sherry admitted and looked to him. "How are you doing?"

Dwight took a deep breath and stared at her with honesty. After leaving Negan's room on the main floor of the mansion, Rick followed him and waved down Maggie and Ezekiel to discuss plans that they each had for the future. The first item of business was to meet together and start delegating who was doing what. Each leader was to have a detailed list of what skills they could bring to the table and contribute to all of the communities for tradable goods. Dwight was overwhelmed with thinking of what it was going to take to get that stability going. He needed help and was already wishing that Takuya was still alive. Dwight already spoke with Mark and Miguel upon some responsibilities here and there but was dismayed to hear that Carson was staying at Hilltop.

He noticed that Sherry was still looking at him in question and brought his hands to his temples. "I don't know if I am capable of running Sanctuary." He disclosed.

Sherry remained quiet as she watched him sit back on his chair but he could tell she was there to listen to his worries. "I think you can do it, Dwight." Sherry uttered. "You'll have to be tough for those first couple of months to show the men that you mean business but it'll settle down sooner than you think. You'll see."

"If I had known that we were still going to use Sanctuary, I wouldn't have blown up half of it." Dwight quipped more to himself but then made a noise of exasperation. "Messes with my future plans anyways."

"What future plans?" Sherry inquired as she brought her head up slightly.

"I was planning on moving to Alexandria once this was all over." Dwight hesitated but looked to Sherry as she met his gaze with her deep dark eyes. "I wanted to live close to you for once."

Sherry sighed and looked up to the ceiling. "You think I'm going back to Alexandria?" She asked.

"Well, that's what you said when we were in that van." Dwight replied.

Sherry smiled as she remained quiet. Dwight was on the edge of his seat while he wondered what she was going to say next. Sherry wasn't the sort of person to play games with someone but he still was holding his breath while waiting for her to confirm that her stay in Alexandria would be permanent. "Oh, come on, Dwight. Wherever you go, I'll go too." Sherry finally said as Dwight could feel his heart leap for joy.

"Really?" Dwight asked quickly and almost in surprise. He didn't think Sherry would ever step foot in Sanctuary ever again.

"Who's helping you run Sanctuary? Mark?" She asked. Dwight nodded his head as Sherry scoffed somewhat. "Yeah, you're definitely going to need some help."

Dwight smirked at her snark and looked to her hopefully. "I still don't want to go back." Dwight revealed. "There's just a lot of things that I wanted to leave behind… just leave it all in Sanctuary." As much as he wanted Sherry to be around him, he knew it was in her best interest to no longer be in such a place that gave her the worst years of her life. He shook his head and got up from his recliner to sit at the corner of her bed. "Sher, you don't have to do this for me. I would love to have you around, don't get me wrong. But if it's tough for me to go back, I can only imagine how you'd feel about all of this."

"I choose to stay with you, Dwight." Sherry said quickly and affirmatively. "I'll make it work."

"You don't have to do that," Dwight remarked as he folded his arms.

"Dwight, this isn't up for discussion…unless you don't want me around." Sherry said while knowing that wasn't the case.

Dwight scoffed at her words and reached for her hand. "You know that's not the reason." He confirmed.

"I know," Sherry said and held his hand tightly. "It's not an easy decision to go back. Dwight, I have waited so long to be with you. I don't want to wait until you retire from your new job either. God knows how long that will be. I'll be okay."

Dwight put his lips in a tight line. "You're not just saying this for my benefit, are you?" He asked tentatively. "You have been thinking about other people over yourself for the last couple of years. I don't want you to resent your decision in the long run."

"I won't." Sherry retained. "And it's not just for you."

Dwight grinned and leaned down to kiss her softly. Their lips met as he scooted closer towards her to really savor the moment. He broke it off and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. "Then I'll respect that." He responded.

"Good," Sherry whispered and tried to scoot over slightly to make room for Dwight to lay beside her. Dwight saw her struggle with the simple action and stood up. He put an arm under her knees and her shoulder blades while picking her up slightly to move her. He placed the covers on top of her again and then settled in right next to her as she rested her head on his shoulder.

…

Rick watched Negan rest with trepidation. He stayed at the threshold of the room to also keep a close eye on the stairs just in case Dwight changed his mind. He wasn't altogether convinced that Dwight believed in his vision to be more civilized in doing things. It was hard to be confident in his own decision to do so. Yet, he had to be an example to his people. They counted on him to really make a change in their cruel world. He meant what he said. He wanted to see the change.

"You're awake, aren't you?" Rick asked as he watched Negan laying in the center of the room.

"I'm in and out of things," Negan responded with a sigh but then groaned from inhaling too much air that bothered his lower abdomen. "So what now?"

"Now we rebuild," Rick responded. "We're going to undo all the damage you did. And with you out of the way, we're going to thrive. I'm going to keep you alive. I'm going to make you watch what we become so that you can see how wrong you were; how much you were holding us back. You're going to rot in a cage until the day you die, Negan. I promise you that. You are fucked."

Negan grinded his teeth at Rick's words but then slowly started to lose consciousness again. Rick just watched him once more with a smile on his face. It was over. He meant what he said. Watching Negan realize his failure was the ultimate punishment. Someone nudged his shoulder as he saw Daryl nod his head towards him.

"We goin' t'be alright now." Daryl reassured as he leaned against the doorway opposite of Rick.

Rick stared at the floor then back to Negan. "We have the right people in charge now," Rick gruffed. "No more ultimatums and no more ruling by fear. We _will_ be alright now."

The nightmare, at long last, was over.

 **AUTHOR'S NOTES, TRIVIA, & FACTS –**

 **#1 – First, the playlist/soundtrack for Cruel World!**

 **Arsonist's Lullabye by Hozier**

 **When it's All Over by RAIGN**

 **Cruel World by Lana Del Rey**

 **Walk Unafraid by First Aid Kit**

 **Soldier by Fleurie**

 **I Think We're Alone Now by Hidden Citizens**

 **Rescue My Heart by Liz Longley**

 **Until We Go Down by Ruelle**

 **The Call by Ruu Campbell**

 **Burn by Cody Crump**

 **This is the Last Time by The National**

 **In the Embers by Sleeping At Last**

 **#2 – A lot of Carson in this chapter but I intend to expand his character slightly within the next couple of books. Therefore, he has to have a lil bit more character development before that happens. Also, I do want him to have an integral part of helping Miss Ashlyn raise their baby. Yes, I said theirs. Book five, Heal, will take place around December 2013 (a little over 7 months after Cruel World ended). Of course, in that time, Ashlyn and Carson will become stronger friends and maybe something more… I'm a sucker for love, you guys should know that by now.**

 **#3 – I don't think Sherry** _ **wanted**_ **to stay in Sanctuary. Nor do I feel that she was obligated to stay because Dwight was there. Rather, she** _ **wanted**_ **to be with Dwight. That's pretty much all it boils down to. It kind of echoes what Dwight said in Chapter 2 of Cruel World when he said that he had every intention of moving to Alexandria if she was there. Sherry felt the need to extend that same invitation to Dwight and say that she'll remain with him through thick and thin.**

 **#4 – As for sticking with each other, I'm not an idiot. Sherry just got out of a very abusive relationship. Obviously, book five is called Heal. There is going to be a lot of that happening before Dwight & Sherry get back to something that resembles a normal relationship. However, I think they both know that. More so, I think Dwight knows that Sherry has some hoops to jump through before she can really commit. So we'll see where book five takes our main lovebirds. It won't all be a walk in the park, I assure you. Sherry has a lot to sort through. That one-shot that I intend to write will expound upon all the abuse that she had endured. Not so easy to get over.**

 **#5 – Q &A Time! I got a LOT of PM's with a whole bunch of questions so I will start.**

 **Question #1 – Where did you draw inspiration for Dwight & Sherry?**

 **Answer – Sherry is definitely me. I can't really even tell you a difference that we have. Any decision that she makes is something that I would have done. Dwight is a little bit of my husband and a little bit of Zachary Levi's Chuck… from Chuck. There was something endearing about Chuck's loyalty in that show. So I used that as a main trait for Dwight.**

 **Question #2 – Did you always have the scenes panned out when you first started this series?**

 **Answer – No. There were a couple of things that I kind of had planned that didn't really pan out once the writing got going. For one, Dwight and Sherry weren't really supposed to get romantically involved in my fanfic. Sherry was going to have Negan's offspring and then end up having a relationship with Rick. Yeah, I prefer how it turned out over that premise any day. I know, what was I thinking?**

 **There was one scene that I kind of envisioned which started it all. It was actually the scene in book 3, Vessel, where Sherry is discovered by Rick and taken hostage of sorts to be in Alexandria. I had that scene kind of come to me after reading the comic books for the umpteenth time and thought it would have been cool if they made Sherry a bigger character. Then it kind of took off from there.**

 **I wrote hundreds of drafts for chapter one (over exaggeration) until I was satisfied with what that first chapter of Many Hearts to Tread ended up being. It was at the end of that chapter where I thought that maybe Dwight and Sherry could be a thing. Like maybe Dwight's actions weren't completely scum-like and rather he was only trying to protect her. By chapter four, I knew that I wanted them to be more than a fling. And I really wrote their relationship from the heart and made it so Dwight & Sherry were each other's top priority.**

 **Question #3 – What inspired you to write about Dwight & Sherry in the first place?**

 **Answer – I've said this before but Sherry was an underrated character in the comics and I was very intrigued by her situation being married to Negan. And the fact that Dwight & Sherry were already married. The scene in the comics where Mark is being burned and Dwight & Sherry have a moment where they look at each other with longing and heartache. They didn't have to say anything for it to be gut-wrenching but since the comic books didn't really delve into that so much AND broke that couple up, I had to take matters into my own hands…because FanFiction.**

 **Question #4 – Why did you make Dwight & Sherry not married in your FanFiction?**

 **Answer – I wanted to embark on a relationship that wasn't yet established. For me to become more invested in their relationship, I wanted to write the beginning, the middle, and the end (yes, there is an end…I have mentioned that I wrote the last chapter to the very last book, haven't I?). If they were already married before the apocalypse began, I could have wrote a back story for that but instead I wanted to be swept away with their journey. No regrets either. And I love the freedom that I had with it.**

 **Question #5 – Who is your favorite person to write?**

 **Answer – "I simply cannot decide." Outside of the major characters (they are main leads for a reason because I happen to like them), I will choose five characters that I really love writing. 1) Eugene! He is the easiest one to write and I love how he tries to act like a know-it-all. Plus, my Josh McDermitt is my boy! 2) It's a tie between Megan & Ashlyn. Ashlyn I think is by far a deeper character and will definitely have some things to deal with in the future but I love Megan's sweet innocence that she has about her despite the predicament that she was in. Trauma moves people differently. I think all the wives kind of show that with how they each cope with life without Negan. 3) Daryl. Daryl is one that I enjoy writing because apenny12 has me looking forward to Dwight & Daryl's bromance (that she has them have in her book HOPE). Drawing inspiration from their relationship in that book, I was the one that could bring origin to that. And it's always fun to collaborate with my best friend and fellow writer! She always helps me with the way Daryl would phrase something. Makes it very enjoyable! 4) Jason. That was a sad death to see go because he was another easy person to write for. You almost knew exactly what he was going to say before he said it. Alas, I had to let him go. 5) Kevin. You wouldn't know because he was hardly in Cruel World but there were too many storylines that he had to take a backseat at least for that book. He'll make more of an appearance in Heal! I promise!**

 **Question #6 – What do you have planned for the future?**

 **Answer – I can't give too much away but I do intend to go over the Whisperer storyline. But since I had this thought for the last chapter in the last book, I am going to connect what I had in mind for that. Books 8-10 will be from my own mind entirely. Can't go into complete detail but 6-7 will have its own arch much like 1-2 were kind of meant to be together and 3-4 are kind of together.**

 **Question #7 – What was the hardest scene to write?**

 **Any fight scenes, dawg! I have to think and rethink every scene that takes place during a fight. Literally any scene that has a fight in it, I have to plan it in my head for weeks before I put it in paper.**

 **Question #8 – Will Many Hearts to Tread have a happy ending?**

 **That I will not answer either way. But nice try (wink). Just know that the ending that I have picked out is what has been in the cards for almost a year and a half now. I guarantee that it will NOT change.**


End file.
